Young people who fail their driving test should not be allowed to drive unaccompanied on public roads, the Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) has said.
"In 1999 there were 56,521 people who failed their basic competency test. All of these people were permitted to return to the road without supervision or sanction. This is insanity," according to Consumer Choice, the magazine of the CAI.
The Government has shown a total lack of conviction in dealing with road safety, according to the CAI. "It continues to hide behind expensive and ineffective propaganda regarding speeding (only one part of the problem), while not tackling the terrors of a shambolic road network, a pathetically inconsistent application of the rules of the road and a system which tolerates over 56,000 incompetent drivers."
No other EU state has a system like the Irish one, that allows untested drivers on the road, according to the CAI.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Environment and Local Government said drivers with a provisional licence must be accompanied if it is their first, third or subsequent licence. "It is only those on their second who may drive unaccompanied," she said.
Consumer Choice environment researcher, Ms Fionnghuala Ryan, said drivers should have 10 lessons with qualified instructors before doing the test. If they fail, they should repeat the course. The cost of lessons varies. Consumer Choice surveyed 12 driving schools and prices varied by up to 33 per cent, with lessons costing from £15 to £20.
Department of Environment figures show pass rates for the test have been between 50 and 60 per cent for the past six years, with a high in 1999 when 59.2 per cent passed and a low in 1995 when 54.8 per cent passed. At present, the average waiting time for driving tests is 23 weeks. This backlog is unacceptable, says the CAI.
The Department of the Environment and Local Government is working to reduce the waiting time to 10 weeks, according to the spokeswoman. However, the numbers sitting the test have increased from 93,443 in 1995 to 165,664 last year.
The Department has employed eight new testers and will recruit an additional 20. Tests are now being conducted in the evenings and at weekends, the spokeswoman said.