The Fianna Fáil Health Spokesperson Stephen Donnelly has called for the drivers of electric vehicles not to be limited by the driving test.
Deputy Donnelly explained, “At the moment the rules mean if you take your driving test in an electric car you’re license is restricted to similar vehicles. Electric cars have no traditional gears or gearbox, but despite that fact the Road Safety Authority, who’s responsible for the testing system, treats ecars like automatic vehicles and drivers are restricted in a similar manner. This makes absolutely no sense at a time when we’re supposed to be encouraging people to be environmentally responsible.
“We recently had the announcement that the Department of the Environment is to fund up to 1,000 on-street public charge points across the country for electric vehicles over the next five years. This is great news as it proves that the Government is listening to those of us who’ve been warning we need to start moving away from fossil fuels.
“Several months ago, in fact, I wrote to the CEO of ESB Networks to explain that there’s a lack of charging points in Greystones and suggested that more drivers might switch to electric vehicles if it was easier to recharge them.
“But it’s totally counter-intuitive that while we’re working to normalise ecars, the driving test process should simultaneously be throwing up barriers to their use. This urgently needs to change,” concluded Donnelly.
