Ready instances for driving checks are nonetheless increased than pre-pandemic ranges at three quarters of all driving check centres.
In whole, 245 driving check centres nonetheless had common waits in extra of 6 weeks on the finish of January and, of these, nearly two-fifths (37%) had ready instances of greater than 5 months.
The determine was taken 4 months into concerted motion by the DVSA to make 150,000 check slots obtainable to learners to attempt to sort out the prolonged waits.
Based on DVSA knowledge accessed by the AA Driving College, 91 (28%) driving check centres had common waits of 24 weeks or extra on January twenty ninth 2024. 4 months beforehand there have been 151 centres with 24 week waits. An unlucky 69 centres had a mean 24 week wait on each dates.
Between October 2nd 2023, when the DVSA began including extra check slots to attempt to sort out the backlog*, and January twenty ninth 2024 ready instances worsened at 15% of all check centres; stayed the identical at 25% and improved at 60%. The common ready time throughout all everlasting, distant and outstation driving check centres fell from 18.7 weeks to 14.5 weeks.
On the finish of March, the DVSA can have added all the additional 150,000 driving check slots it created to its system.
Camilla Benitz, Managing Director AA Driving College, mentioned: “Learners throughout the nation face a postcode lottery on driving check ready instances and, whereas many areas have seen an enchancment due to the additional slots created since October, there are nonetheless huge numbers who’re caught with stubbornly lengthy or elevated ready instances.
“There may be nonetheless a protracted strategy to go to scale back common ready instances nearer to pre-pandemic ranges. Our concern is that we’re not conscious of any additional plans by the DVSA to proceed to deliver the ready instances right down to the pre-pandemic common of 6 weeks.
“Sadly, this implies the best-case situation after March thirty first is that ready instances keep the place they’re, however the worst case and, in our view, likeliest, final result is that they begin to creep up once more.
“It’s unacceptable that we are actually nearly two years post-pandemic restrictions and learner drivers and instructors are nonetheless struggling the results.
“For many individuals with the ability to drive is just not a luxurious – it’s a necessity to get them to work, training and facilitate their social life.
“We have to see a renewed dedication from the DVSA to persevering with to make further driving check slots obtainable 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, comparable to driving teacher coaching exams, which we’ve seen falling availability of just lately.”
Regional winners and losers
In the course of the inflow of 150,000 further driving check slots, some driving check centres have seen massive modifications of their ready instances.
Seven check centres noticed their ready time enhance by an enormous 23 weeks, going from a 24 week wait to only one week:
| Driving Check Centre Identify | Common automotive ready instances as at 02/10/2023 (weeks) | Common automotive ready instances as at 29/01/2024 (weeks) | Distinction (weeks) |
| Burgess Hill | 24 | 1 | 23 |
| Bury St Edmunds | 24 | 1 | 23 |
| Carlisle LGV (Automobiles) | 24 | 1 | 23 |
| Exeter | 24 | 1 | 23 |
| Fort William | 24 | 1 | 23 |
| Hereford | 24 | 1 | 23 |
| Ipswich | 24 | 1 | 23 |
Nevertheless, among the many worst performers, ready instances elevated by as a lot as 23 weeks:
| Driving Check Centre Identify | Common automotive ready instances as at 02/10/2023 (weeks) | Common automotive ready instances as at 29/01/2024 (weeks) | Distinction (weeks) |
| Arbroath | 2 | 18 | -16 |
| Taunton | 8 | 24 | -16 |
| Buckie | 7 | 24 | -17 |
| Culham LGV | 5 | 24 | -19 |
| Crieff | 3 | 24 | -21 |
| Peterhead | 1 | 24 | -23 |
