The waiting time for a driving test in Ballina has more than halved in the last two years, according to Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary.
In November 2007 the average waiting time for a driving test in Ballina was 15 weeks but people are only waiting an average of six weeks now.
“This is a very welcome reduction. Six weeks is a reasonable amount of time to wait for a test, I believe, and it is well below the national average. The Road Safety Authority was given significant funding to procure driving tests as required this year with the aim of keeping the waiting time under 10 weeks. The Government is committed to ensuring that our roads become a safer place and ensuring that more drivers have passed their test is an integral part of that,” explained Dep Calleary.
“The number of deaths on our roads last year was the lowest since records began, and while even one death is one too many, it is encouraging to see that road deaths in February of this year were half those in February 2008. Ireland is now ranked in the top 10 best performing EU countries for road safety performances. Everyone has a role to play in keeping us there and I want to encourage all road users to stay aware on the road and to consider the welfare of others when driving,” he said.
Dep Calleary also added that waiting times in Castlebar have been reduced from an average of 25 weeks to seven weeks in the last two years.
