To alleviate long wait times at the CBR (Central Office for Driving Licenses), interim driving tests will be suspended starting April this year. The suspension will last for a maximum of one year.
During a parliamentary debate, sufficient support for this plan was secured. Long wait times for exams arose during the COVID-19 crisis when hundreds of thousands of driving tests could not proceed.
Some backlogs have been cleared, but in certain areas, wait times remain between fifteen and twenty weeks, as stated by Minister Madlener in a letter to Parliament last week. Today, Parliament and the minister discussed the issues.
It is estimated that suspending the interim tests for a year will create approximately 75,000 additional exam slots. An interim test is a type of mock exam that helps students acclimate to the exam environment.
If students perform special maneuvers, like parking, well enough, they are exempted from them in the actual practical exam. Many parties consider the interim test crucial and want efforts to minimize the suspension duration.
Parties believe suspending the interim test can help but also express regret. VVD MP Veltman described it as a bitter pill.
She, along with NSC MP Van Dijk, submitted a motion requesting the reintroduction of the tests by July 1 in areas where wait times are sufficiently reduced.
Source: NOS