Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average waiting time and (b) longest waiting time for driving tests in Somerset was in each of the last ten years.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.
As of 15 July 2024, there were 531,704 car practical driving tests booked, and 91,306 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. The table below shows the average waiting time by year for a driving test at each driving test centre in Somerset.
Waiting time (weeks) | Weston-Super-Mare | Yeovil | Taunton |
2014/15 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
2015/16 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
2016/17 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
2017/18 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
2018/19 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
2019/20* | 6.7 | 7.7 | 6 |
2020/21 | 9.4 | 12.1 | 10.8 |
2021/22 | 9.1 | 15.8 | 16.7 |
2022/23 | 16.2 | 16.6 | 16.8 |
2023/24 | 20.5 | 20.6 | 16.3 |
As of June 2024 | 19.3 | 18.8 | 17.1 |
*In 2020, the DVSA extended the booking window for customers, allowing them to book a driving test up to 24 weeks in advance. The 24-week booking window is still in place.