Driving test pass rates vary widely at different centres around the country – The Irish Times

There was a wide variation in the rate of motorists passing driving tests at different test centres around the country in the first half of 2024, new figures show.

Almost two-thirds of drivers failed the test at one centre in Charlestown, north Dublin where the pass rate was 36.8 per cent during the six months to the end of June.

During the same period, more than two-thirds of people passed the test at the O’Loughlin Gaels test centre in Kilkenny where there was a 68.4 per cent pass rate.

The figures were provided to Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

Mr Ó Cathasaigh highlighted the difference between his local centre in Waterford with a 42.8 per cent pass rate and the O’Loughlin Gaels centre in Kilkenny and argued that there should not be a 25 per cent divergence between pass rates.

The Waterford TD said there may be several factors at play.

He questioned if there’s a “difference in the testing regime” between centres and said, “if that’s what the issue is that’s a real problem”.

[ Deansgrange car testing centre has highest pass rate in DublinOpens in new window ]

Mr Ó Cathasaigh also said there could be an issue regarding the level of training with which learner drivers are arriving at test centres.

He said: “We need to be sure people are safe on the roads”, adding that the driver test is “a gateway to being able to operate a vehicle on your own on the roads. We need to make sure standards are high enough”.

An RSA statement noted: “All driving tests conducted by the Road Safety Authority are operated in a fair manner and in accordance with the standard procedures for conducting a driving test.”

It said there is a regime of supervision and quality assurance in place to ensure that driver testers are consistent in their approach and strictly following these standard procedures.

The RSA said driving test pass rates can differ between centres depending on several factors.

These include the preparedness of individual test candidates; the varying size of centres some of which conduct many more tests than others; and higher pass rates for truck and bus drivers who are not tested at all locations.