Measures to sort out driving check ready occasions are failing, says the AA Driving College, as new knowledge exhibits they’re growing each month.
Freedom of data knowledge from the DVSA, accessed by the AA Driving College, exhibits the typical ready time for a driving check in the beginning of February was 14.8 weeks. It has risen incrementally in every interim month since to 17.8 weeks in the beginning of Could – a rise of 20 per cent.
The information additionally exhibits a 33% rise within the variety of check centres with common ready occasions of greater than 5 months, rising from 94 in the beginning of February to 125 in the beginning of Could.
Total, in the beginning of Could, the overwhelming majority of check centres (93%) had common ready occasions in extra of the pre-pandemic common of six weeks.
Half (51%) of check centres have seen common ready occasions enhance this yr; solely a fifth (20%) have seen an enchancment.
Lowering the driving check backlog and enhancing ready occasions for learners is a key precedence in The AA’s Motoring Manifesto – which outlines very important transport priorities to all political events forward of the final election in July.
Camilla Benitz, Managing Director AA Driving College, stated: “Sufficient is sufficient. The extra check slots the DVSA added to the system between October and March have made no distinction to the typical ready time learners up and down the nation are dealing with.
“The truth is, learners confronted longer common ready occasions in Could than they did in February.
“Extra needs to be finished to deal with this problem. Having the ability to drive will not be a luxurious – for many individuals it’s an absolute necessity to get them to work, training and employment.
“We have to see a renewed dedication from the DVSA to make further driving check slots out there, but additionally to recruiting and retaining extra examiners so further learner check slots don’t come on the expense of different very important DVSA companies, similar to driving teacher coaching exams, which we’ve seen falling availability of not too long ago.”
Regional knowledge
71 check centres had common waits of 24 weeks (the utmost the system will enable to be recorded) on each February fifth and Could sixth:
| Ashford (Kent) | Isleworth (Fleming Means) |
| Aylesbury | Lochgilphead |
| Ballater | Loughborough |
| Banbury | Loughton (London) |
| Barking (Tanner Road) | Mill Hill (London) |
| Basildon | Morden (London) |
| Belvedere (London) | Northampton |
| Bishops Stortford | Nottingham (Colwick) |
| Bletchley | Nuneaton |
| Bristol (Avonmouth) | Oban |
| Bristol (Kingswood) | Orkney |
| Bromley (London) | Oxford (Cowley) |
| Buckie | Penzance |
| Chelmsford (Hanbury Highway) | Pinner (London) |
| Cheltenham | Studying |
| Chertsey (London) | Redhill Aerodrome |
| Chingford (London) | Rugby |
| Chippenham | Slough (London) |
| Clacton-on-Sea | Southall (London) |
| Coventry | Southampton (Maybush) |
| Culham LGV | Southend-on-Sea |
| Dunoon | Stevenage |
| Eastbourne | Swindon |
| Enfield (Brancroft Means) | Swindon LGV |
| Farnborough | Taunton |
| Folkestone | Tilbury |
| Gillingham | Tolworth (London) |
| Gloucester | Tunbridge Wells |
| Goodmayes (London) | Uxbridge (London) |
| Greenford (Horsenden Lane) | Wanstead (London) |
| Guildford | Warwick (Wedgenock Home) |
| Hastings (Ore) | Watford |
| Hendon (London) | West Wickham (London) |
| Hinckley | Winchester |
| Islay Island | Wooden Inexperienced (London) |
| Yeading (London) |
Check centres which elevated their common ready time between February and Could to 24 weeks embrace: Barnet (London), Basingstoke, Dorchester, Greenham, Hornchurch (London), Inveraray, Ipswich, Kettering, Maidstone, Newport (Isle of Wight), Nottingham (Chilwell), Plymouth and Whitby.
