‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2023/24 Quarter One’ published

The ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2023/24 Quarter One’ report, detailing statistics for April to June 2023, is now available.

The report is produced and published by NISRA Statisticians working within the DVA.

It contains summary statistical, performance, and trend information relating to the main business functions of the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), and other licensing activity. 

The publication is available on the DfI website at: Driver & Vehicle Agency Activity Statistics

Key points:

• In quarter one of 2023/24, DVA delivered 288,099 vehicle tests (full tests and re-tests). This is 2.1% (5,899) higher than the number of vehicle tests delivered in the same quarter of 2022/23 (282,200), and the highest quarter one figure on record.
• Over 246,200 full vehicle tests were conducted between April and June 2023. This is an increase of 2.5% (6,064) when compared to the number of full vehicle test delivered in the same quarter of 2022/23 (240,188).
• Private cars accounted for 81.3% (200,128) of all full vehicle tests conducted in this quarter.
• Over 13,600 vehicles failed to attend a booked vehicle test in the quarter. This equates to 4.7% of all vehicle tests conducted in quarter one and is the second highest on record since 2008/09.
• The percentage of vehicle tests booked online continues to increase, reaching a maximum recorded of 94.9% this quarter. Of the 318,531 vehicle test applications this quarter, 5.1% were made via the DVA call centre.
• Over 23,300 theory tests were conducted in quarter one of 2023/24, the highest in a single quarter since the start of this series in 2012/13
• DVA delivered 16,346 driving tests in this quarter, of which 81% (13,279) were for private cars.
• At the end of March 2023, there were there were 1.26 million licensed vehicles registered to Northern Ireland, the highest on record.
• Performance for driver licensing paper applications this quarter at 97.5% was 7.5 percentage points above the 90% target level, and the highest quarterly performance on record to date.
• At the end of the first quarter of 2023/24 driver licensing online applications performance at 97.6% was above the 95% target level.
• At the end of June 2023, there were 1,153,567 full and eligible driver licence holders with private car/light van entitlement, the highest on record.
• In this quarter to the end of June 2023, the DVA issued 2,485 transport licences in respect of taxi vehicles (1,742), taxi drivers (590) and taxi operators’ (153).
• In the first quarter of 2023/24, DVA were active across the full range of enforcement activities having checked 622 vehicles, issued 63 fixed penalty notices totalling £6,000 in fines, with 5 joint operations with PSNI, 4 cross border operations with An Garda Síochána, and 5 spot checks on school buses.

Notes to editors: 

1. This is the thirty-fifth edition of the quarterly report ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics’, relating to April to June 2023.  
2. The release covers the main DVA business areas: vehicle testing, theory testing, driver testing, driver licensing, road transport and taxi licensing, enforcement and goods operator licensing from within the DfI. Also included in the quarterly report are monitoring results for the first quarter of 2023/24 for two key DVA driver licensing performance targets.
3. Vehicle licensing statistics for 2022/23 quarter four January to March 2023 are included in the report; however, they are no longer a DVA business area: responsibility for vehicle licensing transferred to DVLA in July 2014 and DfT now publish these statistics on a UK-wide basis. Vehicle statistics for April to June 2023 will not be published by the Department for Transport until October 2023.
4. We derive the majority of statistics from administrative data sources held within the DVA, the DfI’s Transport Regulation Unit, and the Department for Transport. 
5. The report is written and issued by NISRA statisticians posted to the DVA. 
6. ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator and Enforcement Statistics’ is published every quarter at pre-announced release dates, which are available from the GOV.UK website.
7. Electronic copies of the ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2023-24 Quarter One’ can be downloaded from our website at: Driver & Vehicle Agency Activity Statistics
8. A detailed User Guidance document is also available on our website.
9. This is a National Statistics report and therefore follows the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  You can find further information about the Code on the Statistics Authority’s website.
10. For further information, please contact:

• Tel (public enquiries): 02890 547911 (Text relay prefix 18001) 
• Email: DVA.Statistics@nisra.gov.uk 
• Website: Driver and Vehicle Agency Monthly Tests Conducted Statistics

11. Follow the Department on X (Twitter) @deptinfra on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure and on LinkedIn at Department for Infrastructure.
12. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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