Drivers face three-month DVSA delay before hitting the roads
Backlogs for tests have rapidly increased since February
PA
Waiting times for new drivers to sit their practical test has reached a critical level with backlogs now as much as three months long.
According to experts, the backlogs come as more 17-year-olds look to take lessons and book their tests this year.
One expert found a 43 per cent increase in driving lessons this year alone but warned that there are still not enough test centres to accommodate all the new drivers.
A Freedom of Information request detailed in February that drivers had an average wait time of 14.8 weeks for a test from the time of booking.
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There is still a large backlog for driving tests following the coronavirus pandemicPAHowever, this figure has steadily increased, with new drivers now waiting 17.8 weeks to take their practical tests.
DrivingExperience.com shockingly found 34 out of around 380 practical driving test centres across the UK had waiting lists of at least 23 weeks.
Dan Jones, operations manager at DrivingExperience.com, said: "Amid unprecedented delays in driving test availability, we are witnessing an extraordinary surge in demand for our Under 17s Driving Lessons.
"With waiting times now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, young learners are increasingly turning to alternative solutions to gain vital driving skills and experience."
Camilla Benitz, managing director at the AA Driving School, explained that being able to drive is not a "luxury" and for many people is an "absolute necessity" to get them to work, education and employment.
At the start of May, most test centres had average waiting times higher than pre-pandemic numbers, which was roughly six weeks.
The research revealed that over half (51 per cent) of UK test centres have seen average waiting times increase this year, while only a fifth (20 per cent) have seen an improvement.
She added more must be done to address this issue. She said: "Being able to drive is not a luxury – for many people, it is an absolute necessity to get them to work, education and employment.
Looking at the data by region, 71 test centres had an average waiting time of 24 weeks between February 5 and May 6.
Benitz stated that drivers need a "renewed commitment" from the DVSA to make additional driving test slots available.
She commented: "But also, to recruiting and retaining more examiners so additional learner test slots do not come at the expense of other vital DVSA services, such as driving instructor training exams, which we have seen falling availability of recently."
Meanwhile, test centres which increased their average waiting time between February and May to 24 weeks included Barnet and Hornchurch in London.
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New drivers stuck waiting three months for practical tests
GETTYNotably, more drivers who are able to take their tests, are passing on automatic vehicle cars than people driving in manual vehicles.
DVSA data found that 17 per cent of all vehicle passes were in automatic cars last year, compared with 13.4 per cent the previous year.
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