240 learners in court each month

On average 240 provisional drivers are appearing before the courts each month for driving unaccompanied, according to figures released by the Courts Services.

Up until October 24th this year, 2,452 provisional drivers have appeared in court for the offence.

The number of cases is lower than in 2006 when 4,490 cases for this offence came before the courts, or around 370 a month. The Courts Services has no data on how many of these cases resulted in a conviction.

Last week, Motors reported that Kildare District Court's Judge Murrough Connellan planned to disqualify provisional-licence holders who appeared before him charged with driving unaccompanied or without L-plates.

Following the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey's decision over the weekend, the 122,000 drivers on a second provisional licence can continue to drive unaccompanied until June 30th, 2008. After this date, only a driver who has held a full licence for over two years can accompany a learner driver.

Over 300,000 provisional drivers are on a first, third and subsequent licence and they must be accompanied in a car by a fully licenced driver.

After strong criticism from the public and representative organisations, Mr Dempsey was forced to delay until next June, a requirement that second provisional licence holders be accompanied. The Minister said the additional time was to allow these drivers time to pass a test.

The Minister has pledged that all second provisional licence holders will be offered a test before next June and has assured the RSA they will have whatever resources are required.

This has led to the RSA asking Swiss firm SGS, which has won a second contract to provide over 100,000 driving tests, to increase its capacity.

SGS has today placed adverts in national newspapers seeking to increase its workforce to allow it carry out more tests each week. SGS carries out around 2,000 tests a week and this may be doubled over the three months, according to the RSA. It held an emergency management meeting yesterday to discuss the fall-out from the furore over the weekend.

More than 14,000 people phoned the RSA over the weekend seeking clarification on the rule change and it has received 20,000 applications online for a driving test and a further 8,000 applications by post since last Thursday.