Driving test delays addressed with new measures
The government has announced a series of new measures to address long driving test delays.
This comes after the BBC revealed that waiting times to book a practical test have reached the maximum 24 weeks at three quarters of the 319 driving test centres in Great Britain.
As part of the government’s Plan for Change, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced that the DVSA will reassign qualified members in other roles within the organisation to carry out driving tests.
It will also double the number of permanent trainers to tackle the backlog, and reintroduce overtime pay incentives for those conducting driving tests.
It is hoped this will reduce waiting times to seven weeks by the summer of 2026.
Driving test delays
The Transport Secretary said: “We inherited an enormous backlog ready to ditch their L-plates but being forced to endure record waiting time for their tests. We simply cannot deliver on our Plan for Change if thousands remain held back, with their aspirations on pause.
“I am instructing DVSA to take further action immediately to reduce waiting times which will see thousands of additional tests made available every month. We’re acting fast to get Britain’s drivers moving.”
DVSA driver services director Pauline Reeves added: “Since December 2024, we’ve made significant progress on implementing our plan to reduce waiting times. But we know that many learner drivers are not seeing the immediate effects of the measures.
“The further action which the Secretary of State has announced will help us to accelerate those measures, including expanding training capacity for newly recruited driving examiners so more of them can start carrying out driving tests sooner.”
