Learner drivers face frustration as tests delayed

LEARNER drivers in Llanelli are facing a wait of nearly six months for a practical driving tests.

- IAN LEWIS

Figures for April from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the body that runs driving tests, show that the average waiting time for a driving test in Llanelli has reached 24 weeks - one of the longest waits anywhere in Wales. This was a four-week increase from 20.4 weeks in March.

In contrast, Carmarthen's test centre had an average wait of nine weeks in March. Swansea stood at 23.4 weeks and Cardigan had just a five-week wait.

Nationally, the Wales average in April was 17.2 weeks, England's was 22.8 weeks and Scotland's 21.4 weeks, making the UK average 22.3 weeks.

The driving tests backlog has been building since the Covid-19 pandemic and has risen over the past five years.

Practical driving tests were suspended several times during the pandemic, and there were periods where only emergency and key workers were eligible to take tests. All of that saw the average waiting time up to 15 weeks across the UK by the end of the pandemic.