The Road Safety Authority (RSA) today (Thursday, July 3) said the average national waiting time to get a driving test invitation has fallen to 16.3 weeks.

According to the RSA this fall in the average wait time to get a test is part of the organisation's Driving Test Action Plan which was launched in May, with an aim to  bring the waiting time down from 27 weeks to 10 weeks by early September 2025.

The RSA said today that it is "firmly on track" to meet this goal because of targeted measures it has put in place to increase capacity and improve efficiency.

Brendan Walsh, chief operations officer of the RSA, said: "The significant reduction in waiting times so far demonstrates our commitment to delivering a more efficient, accessible testing system for all learner drivers.

The RSA had previously pointed to the "unprecedented demand for driving tests" as one of the reasons why there had at one stage been 100,000 people waiting for a driving test.

The average wait time has had a marked fall since April when it was approximately 27 weeks.

A key part of the RSA plan to reduce the wait time is to recruit and train more driver testers.

According to the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, the RSA has "an approved sanction to recruit up to 70 new driver testers which will provide for an increase in driver testers to 200". 

Separately today the RSA also published some of the most common reasons why people fail their driving test.

According to the RSA these include: 

Inadequate observation on moving off, at junctions, roundabouts, changing lanes; 
Failure to anticipate the actions of other drivers; 
Incorrect road position; 
Inadequate progress at junctions, roundabouts, on straight, overtaking;  
Incorrect use of mirrors and signals.

The organisation said the best way for a candidate to pass a driving test is to "prepare thoroughly and arrive at their test fully ready".

Ahead of their test, learners are also encouraged to practice regularly with their sponsor, "building confidence in a variety of road and traffic conditions" and to familiarise themselves with test requirements set out in the RSA checklist, including vehicle roadworthiness, tax, insurance and NCT requirements.  

The chief operations officer of the RSA said: "So far in 2025, the national pass rate stands at 53%, meaning that almost half of learner drivers must reapply to sit their test again.