OVER 2,000 applicants are currently waiting for their driving test in Co Carlow – with an average wait time of an incredible 27 weeks.

Michael Murphy, the Chair of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, has urged the RSA to outline plans to address the issue of waiting times when they come before the Transport Committee.

The plan sets out actions to bring the average waiting time down from 27 weeks to 10 weeks by early September 2025.

Jennifer Whitmore criticised the lack of accountability within the RSA as the driving test backlog reached record highs last month.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said since the beginning of last year they recorded 85 accidents involving driving tests, 15 near-miss events, and 38 cases involving abuse of staff.

More than 83,000 applicants were waiting for a driving test in April – the highest number recorded since the pandemic.

32 per cent have been involved in a near miss, with all reported collisions involving men.

The new RSA drug-driving campaign aims to correct public misconceptions and raise awareness, especially among young people, about the reality and risks of drug-driving.

So far this year, the number of drivers and pedestrians that have been killed on Irish roads from January to March was above average when compared to the same period over the past five years.

Ahead of the national holiday, drivers and all other road users are being reminded to plan ahead and organise a safe way home if socialising over the coming days.

So far, 106 vehicles have been detected travelling in excess of the speed limit on National Slowdown Day.

CCPC says Ireland is lagging behind countries such as Australia and the UK in providing centralised databases of used car histories accessible to car buyers

A man and a woman have both received prison sentences for their roles in a “serious criminal enterprise” in which they posed as learner drivers and sat the driver theory test on behalf of others

The two accused were part of a group of five individuals involved in a scheme to take driver theory tests on behalf of third parties

People are being urged not to travel on Friday during the red weather warning and to avoid unnecessary travel

Met Éireann has forecast a gradual change to milder weather over the weekend, which could lead to some localised flooding as snow and ice thaw

A yellow warning for sleet and snow is in place for much of the country with heavy rain expected in southern parts also.

The Government is aiming to reduce road deaths by 50 per cent by 2030.

Throughout last year, there were 46 cases where a person was involved in a crash during their driving test.

The fee for a driving license will increase from €55 to €65 from January 1st, with the price of an NCT rising to €60.

During the month of December 2023, 14 people lost their lives on Irish roads and 124 were seriously injured.

Four e-scooter riders were killed and 117 seriously injured on Irish roads between January 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2023.

A nationwide status yellow low temperature and ice warning has been extended, and will remain in effect until Friday at midday.

The RSA said drivers should expect hazardous conditions with a potential for reduced visibility.

HGVs represented 11 per cent of vehicles involved in fatal road collisions.

It follows an independent report which also determined that fees would have to increase to meet costs.

Throughout the October bank holiday weekend, an extensive Garda Roads Policing Operation was in place between 7am on Thursday to 7am yesterday.

143 people have been killed on the roads so far this year.

"All of a sudden, parked, hidden, very nice and tidy along a row of parked cars, you have a speed van," he said.

The RSA is warning of difficult road conditions with the potential for fallen trees and debris as well as damaged power lines.

The RSA has called for driver distraction to be 'stigmatised, not normalised'

For every pedestrian fatality, there were approximately nine serious injuries.

There have been 138 road deaths so far this year, up two on the same time last year

The social media campaign is aimed at students across Ireland as they settle back in college and begin considering, researching and planning a summer abroad next year on USIT’s J1 USA visa programme.

In a lengthy complaint, one person wrote about the “very negative” learning environment they had dealt with, saying the thing they most remembered from their lesson was the word “fail”

Mr Brophy said they are recommending the minimum amount of required EDT lessons move to 30 hours, as well as designated sponsor training being a requirement as part of a learner driver's process. 

The RSA said that in the period since 2021, there had been six cases where there was a “query about the candidate’s identity” and a test did not go ahead as planned.

81 people have died on Irish roads in 2024, the highest number recorded by this time of year in over a decade.

Men accounted for all of the fatalities

Jack Chambers, who has responsibility for road safety, said an independent review of the RSA will conclude in the coming weeks.

Labour TD for Tipperary Alan Kelly said local authorities are under pressure, but there were significant routes that had been “absolutely destroyed” due to weather

The Taoiseach expressed concern over low numbers of gardai in the roads policing unit.

Speaking during a visit to Collins Barracks in Cork on Monday to open a multi-million euro accommodation block, Mr Martin said that road safety was becoming a “real priority.”