Learner drivers in the UK are currently finding it almost impossible to book driving tests. This isn't just a question of waiting times being too long: they are often logging in to the booking site only to be told there are 'no tests found on any date'. And it isn't just one or two test centres that have no availability at all: it's huge areas of the country.

This is because of a backlog that built up during Covid lockdowns, that hasn't been cleared four years later.

Hundreds of thousands of people are currently unable to get driving tests, which in many cases means lost job opportunities. People desperate for a test are travelling up and down the country and paying hundreds of pounds for tests booked through dodgy unofficial sites.

End The Backlog is the campaign to fix this situation and make it easier for people to book driving tests. We estimate that the backlog currently stands at around one million tests - meaning a million additional tests would have to be provided for normal service to resume.

Any serious solution will have to involve mobilising some kind of surge capacity to clear the backlog, because the current capacity of the system has not been enough to make much of a difference in four years.

We suggest that appropriately screened Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) should be enlisted to carry out tests on a temporary basis. ADIs are already highly trained and know the driving test system inside out. They are the ideal people to help fix this crisis.

To ensure safety and quality:

• Only ADIs with a clean record and at least 10 years experience should be authorised to carry out driving tests;
• ADIs should have to pass a short training course before carrying out tests;
• ADIs should not be permitted to test their own students;
• ADIs could be required to use dash-cams so that spot checks of footage can be carried out.

If nothing changes, the backlog might never go away, and will continue having a huge cost in time, money, and lost opportunities. But if only a small fraction of eligible ADIs were conducting tests full time, they could clear it in a matter of months.

It is long past time the government took action to solve this problem. Please sign and share if you agree!