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Automotive Guide The Driving Test Centres in Limerick - Ireland

By: Robin Piggott
Automotive Guide

The Driving Test in Ireland

The Driving Test in Ireland is a two stage Test commencing with the Theory Test which can be taken just before your 17th Birthday and the Practical Driving Test will be taken subsequently. The waiting list for a Driving Test in Ireland has received a lot of publicity over the last several years since it really is a long wait. In most cases until very recently a waiting list of 12 months or more was the norm. This is changing now however, due to the implementation of long backed up legislation which is underway as we speak.

Short Term Solution

As a short term solution to a long standing problem the Department of Transport has brought in an outside company to conduct 40,000 Driving Tests over the next year in an effort to reduce the current number of Driving Test applicants which number 140,000 approximately and growing daily. However, these additional Driving Tests will be restricted to the greater Dublin area and East Coast having very little impact on the waiting lists elsewhere!

More Needed

My own view is that there are many more aspects that need to be addressed in reducing the growing waiting list than just employing a company on a short term basis. By the time this company has got though its required number of Driving Tests the list will still be as long or even longer since the growth of the population is expanding constantly.

Two Driving Test Centres

Outside of Dublin, Limerick is the only City with two Test Centres. The Second Test Centre located at Castlemungret on the edge of the city, is the Regional Truck and Motorcycle Test Centre for several Counties in the Munster region. The number of car driving Tests taking place here would in general be a little less than takes place at the Woodview Test Centre on the other side of the city.

The Traffic Volume

The volume and type of traffic that you experience is different at each Test Centre and is again different depending on the day of the week. A Learner Driver who wants to bring his or her skills level to a higher plane needs to acquire knowledge of both locations since they have some very unique hotspots. A good working knowledge of these will make a big difference to being able to pass the Driving Test successfully first time.

Local Conditions

Local conditions need to be reconnoitred in good time before the Driving Test to enable you to evaluate what is required. As a quick example the Castlemungret Test Centre straddles the main road that bypasses the city centre and carries a huge volume of traffic that comes from the Cork and Kerry areas and that is heading to the West. A good deal of this traffic is heavy goods vehicles and towards the end of the week and particularly on a Friday it can be wall to wall trucks. Not an easy scenario to deal with when you are a learner Driver sitting your test for the first time.

Local knowledge and experience in very heavy traffic conditions is an essential part of preparing for your Driving Test…Ignore this at your peril.

Robin Piggott is a Driving Instructor in Ireland who brings four decades of experience to his Astral Driving School based in Limerick. His newly refurbed web site can be found at www.astraldrivingschool.ie Here you can find a treasure trove of everything for the Learner Driver and also pages for the visitor who is contemplating Touring Ireland by Car. Pick up a free seven part mini course Passing the Driving Test First Time" and stack the cards in your favour.

Automotive Guide Tag : Driving Test Centres Driving Test Centre Limerick

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