Learner drivers: Why is the wait for a driving test slot so long in the UK?

National World - LocalTV

The struggle to get a test slot booked is a frustrating one for learners who feel they're ready to hit the roads - but why exactly is there such a long wait?

Transcript

00:00 There's a backlog, unfortunately, partly because of COVID and the pandemic, which didn't encourage

00:06 a lot of face-to-face transactions or lessons in our case. So there is a backlog. Unfortunately,

00:14 some other issues such as public sector workers striking, some of the DVSA examiners are public

00:20 sector workers. So some strikes intermittently, 21, 22, haven't helped.

00:26 That's why it's so hard for learner drivers in the UK to book their tests. But is that

00:30 likely to change in the near future?

00:32 We keep close conversations with the DVSA. We know they're committed to try and get the

00:37 backlogs down. I think waiting lists of 18 weeks have been quoted, but they are working

00:43 hard. They're resourcing more. They're putting more examiners on the case, and we hope to

00:47 see that backlog drop. Our view at REDD is what we try and say to our REDD students is

00:54 don't panic, stay calm and use that time, albeit frustrating, use that time to make

01:00 sure that you're fully prepared to take your test.

01:03 There's a bit of a postcode lottery. Some places, it's really, really hard to book and

01:06 some places it's a lot easier. Why is that the case?

01:10 Maybe density of population, demand for tests and possibly some of the anomalies I've mentioned.

01:15 So maybe there are less examiners available at a particular location. What is happening,

01:20 we observe is some learner students are taking the chance to book at a different test centre.

01:27 But we'd encourage people to travel if they really have to. Otherwise, there's a danger

01:32 that they're not familiar with the territory in which they've learned to drive. But some

01:37 people are travelling a little bit further afield, finding a test slot and taking it

01:41 successfully elsewhere.

01:44 And we've been out and about in cities across the UK asking people if they took their driving

01:48 test today, would they still pass? What do you think?

01:51 Probably your experience as much as mine. When you see some of the behaviour we all

01:55 see on the roads, I'm not sure there'd be that much of a success rate.

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