Learner drivers are being forced to wait six months or longer for an instructor or a test with some driving schools too busy to take more bookings. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the average waiting time for a test in the UK was around four to six weeks. Lockdown caused a huge backlog of learners waiting to take their test, a backlog which is not coming down because ill-prepared learners are taking their tests prematurely and travelling to locations they are unfamiliar with.
The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test is currently 19.3 weeks. In Sussex the waiting times are even longer - 24 weeks at Burgess Hill, 20.
3 weeks at Worthing and 24 weeks at Crawley. The Lancing Driving Test Centre in Chartwell Road shut for good in August after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in the building. The Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) said “low customer confidence” in driving test availability has changed “customers’ booking behaviour” and is responsible for lengthy waiting times.
Learners are now booking their tests far earlier, with 8.2 per cent booking after passing their theory test before even having any lessons. Some 26 per cent booked their test immediately after passing their theory test, having had some driving lessons.
Round The Bend driving school in Brighton has closed its waiting list after it became too long to manage. A spokesman said: “We were running a waiting list but it has now got so out of control th.