Learner Drivers Will Face Delays in Test Booking

Learner drivers should expect delays in booking their driving test, with a backlog anticipated as a result of numerous lockdowns.

People are now allowed to take their driving tests after Covid-related social distancing measures were relaxed following a drop in infection rates, cases in the community and deaths linked to the virus.

However, after huge volumes of tests were rearranged due to the various lockdowns of the last year, many will find it difficult to get a slot booked any time soon.

The RAC is reporting the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is facing a backlog of 420,000 cancellations during the previous year.

That figure was revealed at a time when the Chief Examining Officer at the DVSA, Mark Winn, urged learner drivers to only book a test if “they are completely ready to pass,” according to BBC reports.

“We know many learners have waited a long time to take their driving test, so when tests restart in England and Wales on April 22, we want them to be ready and to pass first time.”

The DVSA are set to utilise bank holidays and weekends in an effort to clear the backlog, with an additional 2,500 tests created per month as a result.

“Candidates affected by the suspension are automatically being booked on to the next available test at their chosen centre,” a DVSA spokesperson was quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror.

“As soon as it is safe, the DVSA will increase the number of driving and theory tests available.”

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