Almost 17 per cent of Irish motorists are driving on a provisional licence, according to new figures released today.
The Department of the Environment's Bulletin of Vehicle and Driver Statistics 2002 reveals that there were 2.1 million driving licences current at the end of last year. Some 352,500 of these were provisional licences.
Anomalies in the law relating to provisional licences have been criticised by road safety campaigners, who claim that many of those who have not passed a test or achieved a minimum driving standard should be taken off the road.
Irish motorists on a first provisional licence must be accompanied by a fully licensed driver. This is not a requirement for those on a second provisional licence, but again becomes mandatory for those on a third provisional licence.
In practice, however, many motorists flout the rule and are driving without the supervision of a licensed driver or even without 'L' plates.
The Department of Transport is currently drafting legislation which is expected to require learner drivers to take a set number of hours training with a professional instructor.
The administration of driving tests will also be handed over to an independent body.
Today's figures also show that an overall pass rate of 54 per cent was achieved in the 149,000 driving tests conducted in Ireland last year. In the case of repeat tests, the pass rate increased to 57 per cent.
Other key statistics in the report reveal that 536,000 car tests were carried out by the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) in 2002, with a pass rate of 94 per cent. Some 41 per cent of vehicles tested passed after defects discovered on the original test were rectified.
A total of 139,700 tests were carried out on heavy goods vehicles, trailers, buses and ambulances, with an overall pass rate of 83 per cent. Of those vehicles that passed, 31 per cent did so after defects had been corrected.
Of the 40,600 light goods vehicles tested, 79 per cent passed. In this category, a quarter of these required repair after defects were discovered on the first NCT test.