A group representing driving instructors has called for a “massive overhaul” of driver training in Ireland in order to prevent road deaths.
As part of that overhaul, the Professional Driving Instructors Association (PDIA) is calling for the amount of required essential driver training (EDT) to be increased from 12 hours to 30 hours.
“Huge changes need to be implemented to improve driver safety, and that starts with how learners are trained,” the group’s director, Dominic Brophy, said.
“As instructors, we see on a daily basis the standard of driving in Ireland, and it just isn’t good enough.
“The Road Safety Authority (RSA) currently requires learners to complete 12 hours of EDT lessons, and although sponsor hours are recommended, they are not mandatory,” Brophy said.
Sponsor hours are periods spent practicing driving skills with a sponsor, who is a responsible person with a full driver licence that can assist a learner with their practice, but who is not necessarily their approved driving instructor (ADI).
“We are recommending that the minimum amount of required EDT lessons move to 30 hours, and that designated sponsor training be a requirement as part of a learner driver’s process to being ready to sit the driving test,” Brophy said.
He added: “Although many people trust their driving instructor and take more lessons, a lot of learner drivers just stop after the 12 EDT [lessons] and then apply for their test.
“What happens then? They fail the test, apply again, wait months for the test, and possibly in the meantime will have to renew the learner permit.
“This cycle adds to the driving test backlog; an increased amount of time and administrative work within the NDLS (National Driver Licence Service); and, most worryingly, keeps low-skill, low-safety drivers on the road,” Brophy said.
According to the PDIA, the group has made “multiple” requests to Minister of Transport Eamon Ryan for a meeting to discuss their proposals. The group claimed to have been “fobbed off and ignored”.
“The Department of Transport continues to look to the RSA for answers, but respectfully, [RSA staff] aren’t the ones on the road every single day seeing what we do,” Brophy said.
“The RSA [isn’t] part of the driver training process, we are. So we are imploring the minister, and the RSA, to take our proposals on board if they are serious about preventing road deaths in Ireland,” he added.