Almost 400,000 learner drivers on Irish roads

Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has said she backs calls from the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to urgently address the increasing number of learner drivers on the roads. Deputy Nolan said that the RSA “must get its act together or get out of the way and accept that it is not fit for purpose.”

Deputy Nolan’s comments follow the latest IRHA figures, obtained under Freedom of Information, that have revealed a further increase of 6,219 learner permit holders on Irish roads in the past year, bringing the total to 388,090.

“The RSA is not just struggling, it appears to be completely out of its depth. We now have more learner drivers on our roads than at any time in recent memory, with over 1 in 10 drivers holding only a learner permit. At the same time, road deaths are rising. This is completely unacceptable,” said Deputy Nolan.

“How long must we tolerate a Road Safety Authority that is such a complete mess? Not only has it failed to clear the driver testing backlog despite millions of euros in additional funding, but it is also pursuing flawed and biased policies that are damaging professional drivers and worsening the HGV driver shortage.”

Deputy Nolan pointed out that experienced HGV drivers with EU Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) Driver Training Directive cards valid until 2029 are now refusing to engage with further modules because of what they believe to be the poor quality on offer, risking a new wave of driver exits at a time when the industry is already in crisis.

“The haulage sector keeps Ireland’s economy moving. These are skilled professionals, not scapegoats. Yet the RSA’s approach on this issue and the learner permit issue is destroying morale, deepening the driver shortage and ultimately harming road safety.”

“It is way beyond time for the Minister to act. The RSA has failed on driver testing, failed on CPC training, and failed on delivering meaningful road safety improvements. The IRHA is right; if the RSA cannot sort out the basics, then it must accept it is not fit for purpose and the Minister should allow someone else to take over these critical functions,” concluded Deputy Nolan.