Learner drivers who had vehicles seized for driving unaccompanied hit 6,500 in 2024

Seán McCárthaigh

The number of learner drivers who had vehicles seized or impounded after being caught driving unaccompanied last year rose by 28 per cent to almost 6,500.

However, just 24 motorists were issued with summonses in 2024 for the offence of allowing a learner driver to drive on the public road without being accompanied by a full licence holder.

New figures published by the Department of Justice reveal that a daily average of 18 learner drivers had their vehicles taken off the road in 2024 – a total of 6,483.

Figures so far this year indicate similar levels of detection with 3,157 cases recorded up to June 4th, 2025.

However, a road safety group has expressed concern about the seemingly low level of enforcement of the offence of driving unaccompanied by learners in some rural counties, despite increased detection rates.

The figures, which are based on the Garda PULSE system, indicate that approximately four out of every 10 drivers caught for such an offence manage to avoid having their vehicle seized.

Learner drivers in Dublin are far more likely to have their vehicles seized than any other part of the country with just 23 per cent of those detected driving unaccompanied being allowed to retain their vehicle.

The figures, which were provided in response to a series of parliamentary questions by Social Democrats TD, Aidan Farrelly, indicate that more than 60 per cent of such offenders in Clare, Galway, Kerry and Waterford/Kilkenny avoid having their vehicle seized.

They also reveal that the overall number of learner drivers who were issued with a €160 fine after being detected driving unaccompanied last year increased by 20 per cent to 10,579.

No information was available on how many also had penalty points attached to their licence.

One Garda division – Dublin West which covers areas including Lucan, Clondalkin, Finglas, Ballyfermot and Blanchardstown – accounted for 14 per cent of the national total last year with 1,516 unaccompanied learner drivers caught by local gardaí.

The next highest numbers were detected in Dublin North (968) and Waterford/Kilkenny (649).

The lowest number of such offences were recorded in Sligo/Leitrim (133), Donegal (137), Dublin East (209), Mayo/Roscommon/Longford (265) and Kerry (283).

Detection rates were up in 18 of the 21 Garda divisions with annual increases in excess of 50 per cent in Dublin North Central, Dublin South Central, Donegal, Kerry and Sligo/Leitrim.

Meath/Westmeath and Clare/Tipperary were the only two Garda divisions to record a decrease in the number of unaccompanied learner drivers fined last year, while the number was unchanged in Louth/Cavan/Monaghan.

Separate figures from the Courts Service also show that only 886 individuals were convicted for driving a vehicle while not being accompanied by a full licence holder last year

The chairperson of road safety group PARC, Susan Gray, said the most alarming aspect of the figures on unaccompanied learner drivers was the seemingly low level of enforcement in rural parts of the country.

“Donegal gardaí only seized 151 vehicles in 29 months; Sligo/Leitrim – 136 and 218 in Kerry over the same period,” said Ms Gray.

While official figures indicate that over 24,000 fixed charge notices were issued to unaccompanied learner drivers between January 1st, 2023 and June 4th, 2025, Ms Gray said there was no information about how many fines were paid and how many offenders had penalty points applied to the driving licence via the Department of Transport’s driver file database.

“A lot more questions must be answered to see the full extent of the problem,” said Ms Gray.

Concern has also been expressed that the sharp increase in the number of learner drivers having their vehicles seized in the past 18 months is linked to long-waiting times for driving tests.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Farrelly said it was important to bear in mind that not every learner driver who had been detected and sanctioned for driving unaccompanied chooses to be in that position.

The Kildare North TD said he believed the figures might be linked to backlogs in the number of learner drivers waiting to sit their driving test with an estimated 100,000 applicants still waiting for a test in May.

“Many learner drivers have made great efforts to secure a driving test and I feel that some of what we are seeing here is the prevailing manifestation of backlogs at test centres,” he added.

According to the Road Safety Authority, the annual number of driving tests has increased by 61 per cent since 2021 to 253,850 last year.

The RSA announced an action plan last month which aims to reduce driving test waiting times from 27 weeks to 10 weeks by early September.

The latest RSA figures indicate the average waiting time for a driving test currently stands at just below 19 weeks.