Do you remember the day you passed your driving test? Getting on the open road – there’s nothing quite like that freedom. It’s a rite of passage for many but one that has become more challenging for young people, given the massive wait times to take the test. There are 100,000 learner drivers currently waiting to take their driving test and at its peak this year, in April, they were facing a six-month wait. Compare this to six weeks in 2019.

It is a story we covered in detail in last week’s edition of Irish Country Living, written by Rosalind Skillen. We didn’t just cover wait times, we also looked at options available to people to circumvent the delays.

One option has been travelling to the country of Georgia to get your driving licence. Last year, Ireland signed a memorandum with Georgia in which driving licences could be exchanged. So in essence, if you pass your test in Georgia, you could come home and swop your Georgian licence for an Irish one. The process takes about 30 days but even with your trip abroad, it has been a far quicker route for people to get on the road. And as you don’t need to do the requested 12 lessons, the cost nearly works out the same, even with your flights.

It seemed too good to be true. But Rosalind did her research and due diligence, obtaining quotes from the RSA, and we could stand over the fact that yes, this was totally legal and that some Irish people were taking the Georgian route to get on the road.

There are 100,000 learner drivers currently waiting to take their driving test and at its peak this year, in April, they were facing a six-month wait

While doing her research however, Rosalind heard rumblings that the system might be changing. We were keen to publish the story but after Irish Country Living went to print last week, we got word that the process had changed. Now to obtain a licence in Georgia, new applicants have to show residency of at least 180 days. Ironically, given the wait times in Ireland, you’d probably still move to Georgia and get your licence faster – although admittedly, that is a bit extreme.

So that quick avenue to get on the road is no longer an option, but there has to be lessons learned from all this. How is the eastern European country able to provide driving tests within days while Irish residents are waiting months?

One part of the answer is technology. To pass your test in Georgia, there are three elements. A theory test, similar to the one we have here; a practical test in a controlled environment where the focus is on six manoeuvres (like the often-feared parallel parking); and then the actual test. And here is the clincher. Instead of a driving instructor testing you, you must take the test in an official exam car where an automated system makes the call on whether you pass or fail.

For safety reasons, an instructor is still present but the whole process is streamlined. We know in Ireland that pass rates vary massively across the country so this takes that human bias out of the equation.

Road safety has to be absolutely paramount when it comes to getting drivers on the road, there is no denying that. But the Irish government can’t ignore that fact that given the wait times, people were taking matters into their own hands and going to extreme lengths to get their licence.

We have to look at ways of fixing a system that is broken, without compromising road safety, to get young people on that open road.