The Road Safety Authority claim that 20% of driving tests in Ireland result in the applicants not showing up for their tests.
RSA’s CEO Moyagh Murdock was talking on Midlands 103 this morning and she said that this is one of the major contributors to the large back log.
According to statistics released earlier this month there are over 1,000 applicants on the list in Westmeath and Offaly, 638 in Laois.
The RSA has been recruiting additional testers in advance of a clampdown on learners driving unaccompanied, which is expected to lead to a spike in test applications.
The RSA also said that the waiting list is as long as 18 weeks in some of the test centers around the midlands.
Recently, Portlaoise was named as the town in the midlands with the longest waiting list.
Just over 51% of drivers pass their test in Portlaoise, according to the RSA website.
This is the lowest ranked town in the Midlands and is below the National average of 53.65%.
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