Every Monday morning, my son routinely wakes up at 6 am, diligently logging on to the driving test booking system, hopeful that this will be the week he can secure a test slot. Yet, week after week, he is confronted by a daunting message, stating that there are already more than 6500 people ahead of him, leaving him with little to no chance of securing a slot for his practical driving test.

For numerous people like my son, the mandatory two-year limit to resit a theory test if they haven’t passed a practical car test during this time frame is proving to be inadequate and harsh. The current wait times for a practical driving test far exceed what seems fair or reasonable due to an unprecedented backlog. It's vital to acknowledge that these delays are largely out of the applicants' hands, and retaining the status quo will serve only to dampen their motivation and potentially deprive them of vital learning opportunities.

An extension of the validity period for theory tests from two to three years would provide much-needed relief for thousands of learner drivers. This pragmatic shift would help to accommodate the current unusual circumstances, and ensure that we are not penalizing a whole cohort of learner drivers for a situation that is beyond their control.

If you or a love one is a learner driver affected by the backlogs and finds the current policy unfair, please consider signing this petition. We need a fairer system that takes into account the reality of the situation, rather than leaving young, ambitious drivers at an unnecessary disadvantage.