A Senator made representations on behalf of someone who was not allowed to do their driving test because they were wearing sandals.<\/p>\n
It was one of dozens of queries from public representatives released by the Road Safety Authority<\/a> (RSA) under the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n It reported a 93 per cent increase in such emails up to November 2025, when compared with the same period last year.<\/p>\n Some 45 per cent of these queries related to driving tests, \u201cwith the majority looking for a test date for a constituent or for an update on a constituent\u2019s driving test application\u201d, a representative said.<\/p>\n In a random sample of queries sent this year, some TDs and Senators requested driving tests be \u201cexpedited\u201d for constituents, as waits for learner drivers reached an average of about 27 weeks earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe above named was scheduled to do his test today but he wasn\u2019t allowed to proceed as he was wearing sandals,\u201d an email written on behalf of Fine Gael<\/a> Senator Manus Boyle to the RSA in July reads.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is only here for two and half weeks as he presently lives abroad but is moving here next year and wanted to have his driving licence in order on his return. He has reapplied so is there any way to expedite the application?\u201d<\/p>\n More than 100,000 learners were waiting for a slot before the RSA launched an action plan in May<\/a> to reduce waits to the 10-week service level agreement target.<\/p>\n In April Minister of State Alan Dillon<\/a> wrote that two \u201cintegral\u201d staff members of a company were awaiting tests, adding: \u201cI would respectfully ask if it was possible to expedite their tests.\u201d<\/p>\n