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Driving Test Waiting Times
Posted on May 16, 2016
We take a look at the rising waiting times for the Practical Driving Test, to see who in the UK has to wait the longest and where in the UK comes up top at getting new drivers on the road quicker!
Driving instructors have taken to social media to voice their concerns. With waiting times becoming so high over the last 12 months that some students are booking in areas they don’t live in just to get a test quicker.
How they compare
We used the Department for Transport website (www.dft.gov.uk) to look at 20 test centres from cities across the UK. The website is very easy to use and can give you test times for Car, Motorcycle, Taxi, HGV and Approved Driving Instructor part 2 & part 3.
(Information from Department for Transport website as of 16/05/2016)
Looking at the data the average waiting time to take your practical test in the UK is 12 weeks!
It seems South Wales has the best average waiting time for practical exams, with our home town of Cardiff clocking the lowest time of 5 weeks.
If you live in Liverpool or Solihull, it’s not such good news, as you have to wait 5 weeks over the UK average. You could be waiting up to 17 weeks before taking your driving test!
It looks as though it pays to live in the South of the UK, as on average the waiting time is around 10 weeks. In the North, there is on average a 13 week waiting list before you can sit your practical exam.
Have your say
Do you think test waiting times are a problem? What is the average in your area? Let us know your comments below or share with us on Twitter or Facebook.
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