Hundreds of thousands of driving students waiting to take their exam
The Central Bureau for Driving Examination (CBR) said they have not been able to catch up on the setback that accumulated due to the coronavirus crisis, Trouw reported. Over 300 thousand driving students have been waiting to complete their practical exams and over 450 thousand people have not yet had the chance to complete their theoretical exams.
Yet, the pandemic is not solely to blame for the waiting period of over four months, according to the Trouw. There are also dozens of driving schools that profit off of students failing their exams.
On average, 47 percent of driving students have to repeat their exams at least once. Some driving schools, only have a success rate of 15 percent. Director of the CBR Alexander Pechtold said they are working a quality test for driving schools.
Oftentimes, packets are sold with so few lessons that the chance for the students to pass the exam on their first try is very low.
Under normal circumstances, once students finished their practical courses they have to complete their exams within five to seven weeks. Now, students have to wait up to 15 weeks to get a spot. The waiting period leaves ample time for students to forget what they learned during the course.
Not only new drivers have to put up with the wait but also experienced drivers who want to renew their license.
Especially in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rijswijk and Barendrecht, students have to wait for an extended period of time.
“We’re catching up slowly but surely. But there is a huge number of exams that still need to be done. You can’t get rid of them in one summer”, a CBR spokesperson said.
The CBR has been working to find additional driving instructors on top of the 500 that are already licensed but the screening process takes a long time. At the end of this year, only 20 additional driving instructors will be certified.
