Ennis is the driving test centre with the best pass rate in Ireland in 2016 according to a new report published by the Road Safety Authority.

Overall, 73.25 percent of people who took their driving test in Ennis passed.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) have published a list of the pass rates for all its driving centres in 2016.

The figures account for the fifty driving centres that the RSA operates around Ireland.

Churchtown was the driving centre with the lowest pass rate for drivers at 42.41 percent.

In Dun Laoghaire (45.16%), Tallaght (45.22%), Raheny (46.53%), Finglas (48.05%), Naas (49.16%) Rathgar (47.77%) and Wicklow (48.87%) less than half passed their driving test.

The overall average pass rate for all driving centres was 53.65 percent. According to the RSA, these are some of the most common reasons why people fail driving tests:

1. Inadequate observation moving off, at junctions, at roundabouts and when changing lanes.
2. Failure to anticipate the actions of other drivers.
3. Incorrect road position on the straight, on bends, turning left, turning right, at roundabouts, and when overtaking.
4. Inadequate progress at junctions, roundabouts, on the straight, and when overtaking.
5. Incorrect or inadequate use of mirrors and signals.
6. Non-compliance with traffic controls, e.g. road signs and markings and traffic lights.
7. Incorrect, inadequate or inappropriate use of vehicle controls, including gears, clutch, accelerator, steering, handbrake, foot brake, and secondary control.
8. Excessive speed for the road or traffic conditions.
9. Failure to yield the right of way to others.
10. Lack of competence in the reverse and U-turn manoeuvres.

When asked if there was any plans to open more driving centres in 2017 the RSA said they have no plans to open any new centres but will review resources available in existing centres around the country.

“The RSA does not have any plans to open any additional driving test centres in 2018, but continues to review resources and to monitor waiting times closely and is constantly reviewing and adjusting the deployment of driver testers in order to meet demand as much as possible at the centres where the need is greatest,” said a spokesperson for the Road Safety Authority.

The pass/fail statistics for 2017 will not be finalised until early 2018. “We will publish these statistics on our website once they are finalised. It is the case that pass and fail rates are usually quite similar from year to year,” said a spokesperson for the RSA.

By Keeva Tyrrell