The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has launched what it calls a "comprehensive action plan" aimed at reducing driving test waiting times around the country.

The government has requested the authority reduce wait times to the target figure of 10 weeks, compared to the current average wait time of 27 weeks.

The RSA said its new plan sets out "clear actions" to reduce wait times to 10 weeks by early September this year.

The RSA's plan comes at a time of "unprecedented demand" for driving tests, with 100,000 test applicants in the backlog and waiting to be tested.

Some points of the plan are already underway, including the accelerated training of new testers through the use of additional training facilities, and a revised approach to training, enabling early development of new testers.

Testing hours will be expanded, including overtime for weekday evenings, Saturdays and bank holidays, with tests running from 7:25a.m to 7:00p.m.

The RSA said it will also target manual intervention in the booking system to ensure invitations are issued to areas of greatest demand in order to ensure more efficient slot allocation.

New driving test centres will also open in key areas, bringing the national total to 60 centres.

The authority said it is currently examining and appraising "contingency measures", both internally and externally, as further options to deal with any potential future surges in demand for driving tests.

The RSA said the number of driving tests conducted has steadily increased year-on-year, reflecting growing demand: 157,183 in 2021; rising to 180,696 in 2022; 212,525 in 2023; and reaching 253,850 last year, representing a 61% increase in the number of conducted tests since 2021.

Sam Waide, chief executive officer of the RSA, said: "We know how frustrating and disruptive these delays are, especially for people who need a licence for work, college, or caring responsibilities. I want to offer a sincere apology to everyone who has been affected.

"The RSA will publish progress updates every fortnight via its website to ensure full transparency and public awareness as the plan advances," Waide said.

He added: "We’re asking customers to support the effort by cancelling early if they cannot attend, so that appointments can be offered to others. Every cancelled slot that is re-used helps us reduce the backlog faster.

"Also, we’re urging customers to ensure they prepare for their test, as over 4,000 tests so far this year couldn’t be conducted for reasons such as vehicles without a valid NCT, tax, insurance or not deemed roadworthy," the RSA chief executive said.