The way to the practical driving test is often paved with high costs and stress for beginners. Some of them are currently having to wait an unusually long time for their exam dates.
Berlin – novice drivers who want to take their practical driving test, currently have to expect unusually long waiting times for an appointment. On average, a waiting time of between three and five weeks must be assumed, said the managing director of the TÜV association, Joachim Bühler.
He attributes the delays mainly to the restrictions in the corona pandemic. Depending on the region, there may be shorter or longer waiting times. “If the testing process continues as it is at the moment, we expect that we will have processed the high demand for driving license tests, depending on the region, in the period from the fourth quarter of 2021 to the end of the first quarter of 2022.”
According to Bühler, the restrictions in the corona pandemic temporarily brought the training and examination operations to a standstill. At the same time, the theory lessons and the theoretical exams continued in most countries. “The result: After the lockdowns ended, the demand for dates for the practical exam skyrocketed. This has never been seen before, ”said Bühler. In addition, examiners fell ill with corona or had to go into quarantine. “There were also more and more appointments canceled due to illness among applicants and driving instructors.”
It’s getting more expensive for learner drivers
The delays in testing operations are likely to be felt by beginners financially as well. “Because of the waiting times, the learner drivers take lessons before the test so as not to lose their practice,” said driving instructor Peter Hörnle from Ochsenhausen in Baden-Württemberg. That is an average of two to four hours. This makes the driver’s license more expensive. “It needs more examiners or the Tüv must lose its monopoly on driving tests,” demanded the 57-year-old.
So do the test subjects have to pay for the appointment allocation problems of the TÜV? “You can’t say that in principle,” said the chairman of the Federal Association of Driving Instructors Associations, Jürgen Kopp. “Of course, more driving lessons may be required if you cannot fully rely on the expected test allocation. That has certainly led to considerable adjustment problems. On the other hand, the driving schools cannot always fulfill the wishes of the students because the utilization of the training capacity is reaching its limits. “
In order to get the problem under control, the TÜV, together with the driving instructor associations, is taking measures that primarily affect the staff. “The driving examiners do extra work and postpone their vacation in consultation with the works council. As far as possible, officially recognized experts from other areas of work are loaned, for example from the general inspection of vehicles, ”says Bühler. Some examiners would even be brought back from retirement.
As he says, Bühler understands the annoyance of some test subjects about the long waiting times. However, he does not see the monopoly position of the TÜV as the cause of the problem: “If the sole contract falls, there is not automatically more testing capacity. There were also delays where there is a free choice of the testing organization. This shows that we should deal with the specific challenges and not with system issues. ”Dpa
