Driving licence loophole
Motorists who've been without a driving licence for several years are being accused of exploiting a loophole in the system.
It's after new figures show over 1,400 people have had a learner permit for over 25 years.
Almost 240,000 drivers across the country have learner permits.
According to Freedom of Information figures, 23,000 have one for over ten years and nearly 5,000 for over 20 years.
Under current rules, you can't apply for a third learner permit unless you've recently done a test or have one booked.
Aisling Reid is from the PARC Road Safety Group:
“Many of our families have lost people on the roads as a result of a collision with an unaccompanied learner driver, so it is quite unsettling for us to see figures so high,” she said.
“We would like to see the Road Safety Authority and the Department of Transport work on a solution to the problem.”
The Department of Transport says it's aware there's a large number of people on the roads with their fourth, fifth, sixth or subsequent learner permits - and is trying to eliminate the backlog.
