Many Inishowen
motorists could unknowingly be driving without full
cover against accidents because of a major backlog
at the NCT Centre in Letterkenny.
The Road Safety Authority has confirmed to
InishowenNews.com that it was aware that some
motorists may not have been notified that their
vehicle was due for the NCT. The problem relates to
a breakdown in communication earlier this year that
resulted in National Car Test Services Ltd., not
being informed of all vehicles due for testing. A
spokesperson for the SGS Group which operates NCTS
Ltd., on behalf of the Road Safety Authority, said
there were "problems with the quality of data"
received, resulting in the company not getting
details of all the vehicles due for testing.
The failure has contributed to delays at some of the
country's 43 NCT centres including Letterkenny, Co
Donegal, which is reporting a backlog of up to six
weeks.
Under its key performance standards, the average
waiting time for a test should be less than 14 days
and no more than 21 days. Vehicle owners are
entitled to a free test if they are waiting longer
than 28 days after applying for the test. Drivers
can also claim a free test if they are waiting
longer than 65 minutes at the test centre.
One Inishowen motorist from Buncrana, whose disc
expired at the end of July and who was on the
cancellation list, was told on Friday she would not
get an NCT booking until October 2. She was offered
a letter confirming her appointment date in case she
was apprehended by Gardai for the offence.
Her insurance company has informed her that while
she is still insured to drive, she may not be
covered in the event of an accident where the cause
is deemed to be mechanical failure or any other
fault in her car that should have been picked up by
the NCT test. SGS said that extra 'non-core' staff
have been employed to tackle the waiting list
including the deployment of three more vehicle
inspectors at Letterkenny. This brings the
Letterkenny staff total to six and allows for
testing up until 10pm.
"While there are delays, people are getting
appointments. We are starting to get on top of the
problem," said the SGS spokesperson. A spokesperson
for the Road Safety Authority, which contracts the
NCT testing to the SGS Group said: "The RSA is
working with its contractor NCTS and the issue is
being rectified. If any vehicle owners have a query
regarding the scheduling of their National Car Test
they should contact the NCT Service." |
