Learner drivers travelling hundreds of miles to Carlisle for tests

There are fears learner drivers who are not ready for their tests are travelling miles to take one

Learner drivers are travelling hundreds miles to take their tests in Carlisle because of a shortage of slots where they live, according to one instructor.

Stephen Philipson says he has been taking calls from desperate learners as far away as London on a daily basis.

A backlog from the pandemic - when lessons and tests stopped - has seen demand for tests soar since 2021.

Mr Philipson said the city is a popular option for tests because the waiting time can be half that of other places.

The instructor, who has worked in his role for five years, has also had calls from prospective pupils in Europe.

"We've recently had an enquiry from France and one from Switzerland," he said. "We don't tend to take them if they're outside the county, we try to stick to our local Carlisle customers where we can.

"But people [from further afield] are booking tests in Carlisle as it has a few more slots than anywhere else."

Carlisle driving instructor Stephen Philipson says learner drivers are booking their test date before having lessons

About 1.6 million UK learners took their tests each year before the pandemic, but that number plummeted to 436,000 in 2020-21.

The demand for driving tests in places such as London, Birmingham and Cardiff means tests are not available to book online for up to six months.

By contrast, in Carlisle test bookings can be made just three or four months ahead.

Learner drivers are being urged not to book a test date until they are ready because of the demand

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) says 53 out of every 100 driving tests were failed between January and March and urged learners to only book tests when they were ready.

It recently launched the 'Ready to Pass?' campaign to try and improve pass rates and reduce test waiting times.

Mr Philipson added: "We've had people from London, Manchester and Birmingham enquiring daily.

"They are passing their theory test and then booking their test date straightaway wherever they can find one.

"They come to Carlisle ill-prepared or without knowing the area and failing and it's not helping with the backlog."

The DVSA says since April 2021, it has created about 428,000 extra test appointments by recruiting new examiners and offering tests at weekends and on public holidays and by inviting recently retired driving examiners to return to work.

The latest statistics show that 425,887 car driving tests were carried out between 1 January and 31 March 2022 - an increase of 14% compared to the same period in 2020.