More than 2,000 aggrieved learner drivers complained about their test last year, with one saying they were penalised for a person walking out in front of their car and another failed for having a tear in their insurance disc.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said there had been around 170 complaints each month in 2024 but that these made up less than one per cent of the total tests conducted.
One wrote of losing “all [their] confidence” after being failed on more than double the mistakes they had expected.
They wrote: “I feel I was tested very unfairly even getting a mark for someone walking out in front of the car and I was actually slowing before they done it … but no, apparently I reacted too late.”
Another detailed how they had deliberately kept an extra long distance between them and a horse-drawn carriage in front.
“I was [a] little far away [from it] for safety reasons but the examiner failed me for that reason as well,” they said.
One person wrote about being disallowed from taking their test because a green strip on their insurance disc was torn.
An email said: “This was an accident, and [I] didn’t even know this existed.
“This same car and insurance disc was used by a friend of mine in a test back in [redacted] and there were no issues then as [they] passed so I’d like to know why the instructors have different rules it seems when going out on the road,” they said.
Another was refused an exam by a driving tester who said their tyres were “bald.”
They wrote: “I took my car to a mechanic that checked my tyres and that they are all correct and I've only had my NCT two months ago.”
One complaint from a learner said they were not allowed to do their test because the “green stripe” on their insurance disc had turned blue.
This colour has faded due to sunlight exposure,” they said. “I’m not expected to pay €120 again on the basis of this?”
Another wrote of how intimidating it was to have two testers in the car when they were doing their driving exam.
“As this was my first test you can imagine I was already very nervous, this was not a help at all [and] I found this extremely inappropriate and distracting,” their complaint said.
“As I was doing the reverse around the corner I couldn’t see as [this person] was in the way and was constantly moving around checking what I was doing.”
One person claimed the Road Safety Authority seemed to have a “quota” system in place to fail half the drivers that took a test.
However, this was rejected by the RSA as “completely inaccurate and entirely false.”
A spokesman said: “Complaints have decreased by 30 percent compared to last year, despite an increase of approximately 41,000 additional tests conducted.
“In fact, complaints represent less than 1% (0.79%) of the total number of tests carried out.”
He said the RSA was committed to high standards but that learners were sometimes unhappy with their test result or standard of service.
The spokesman added: “[We are] committed to treating all complaints fairly, in confidence and without bias. We also endeavour to issue a response or resolve a customer's issue as quickly as possible.”
