There has been an increase of Learner Permit holders across the Northern Sound region between March 2025 and 2026.
That's according to new figures released from the Road Safety Authroity (RSA) to the Irish Road Hauliers Association (IRHA) under FOI.
In Co. Cavan, almost 5,600 drivers held a learner permit in March 2025.
This rose to 5,800 in March 2026, an increase of 272.
Meanwhile in Co. Monaghan, just over 3,600 drivers had the permit in 2025, increasing by 147 to 3,790 in March 2026.
Nationally, there were 388,090 learner permit holders on Irish roads at the end of March 2026 - 6,219 more than at the same date in 2025 - one year ago.
We now have more learner drivers in every county in Ireland, bar 4, since 2025.
President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Ger Hyland, has said it shows that the RSA is not making real progress on driver testing backlogs and that the figures indicate that the RSA is out of their
depth, unable to manage driver testing and failing at road safety.
Hyland highlighted that more than 1 in 10 drivers on Irish roads are on a learner permit.
Hyland described Irish roads as dangerous places for his members and accused the RSA of failing on their road safety mandate.
He added that the IRHA no longer has confidence in the ability of the RSA to manage and reduce road deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
