Publication of DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2023/24 Quarter Four

The ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2023/24 Quarter Four’ report, detailing statistics for January to March 2024, and financial year 2023/24, is now available.

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

The key points in the report are:

In 2023/24 DVA delivered over 1.138 million vehicle tests, the second highest in our series back to 2008/09.

Just over 49,100 vehicles failed to attend a booked vehicle test in 2023/24, the second highest on record, and equating to approximately 869 missed vehicle tests per working week.

Full vehicle tests conducted this year at over 978,480 is the second highest test volume recorded for a single year.

Private cars accounted for 82.1% (803,831) of all full vehicle tests delivered in 2023/24.

For all vehicle test applications made this year, 95 in every 100 (95%) were booked using the online booking system, the remaining 5% via the DVA call centre.

The DVA delivered just over 62,870 driver tests in 2023/24, 82.0% (51,562) of which were for private cars.

In total 2,340 candidates failed to attend for a booked driving test in 2023/24, the second highest on record and just over 3.7% of all tests conducted this year.

This year DVA delivered just over 89,350 theory tests, the second highest annual volume on record back to 2009/10.

Over 12,270 customers failed to attend a booked theory test in 2023/24, the highest on record and 13.7% of all theory tests conducted this year (89,355).

Online driver licensing application performance in 2023/24 at 98.7% was above the 95% target level for this year, and for each quarter within the year.

Paper driver licensing applications performance at 96.5% was above the 90% yearly target level, and above 90% for each quarter within the year.

At the end of March 2024, there were 1,170,481 full and eligible licence holders with private car/light vans entitlement, the highest on record.

DVA were active across the full range of enforcement activities this year having checked 2,761 vehicles, issued 579 fixed penalties notices totalling £81,230 in fines, completed 39 joint operations with the PSNI and 17 cross border operations with An Garda Síochána, with 50 spot checks on school buses. In addition, they completed 66,470 tachograph checks, 53.022 at the roadside and 13,448 in premises.

Notes to editors: 

Background to Driver & Vehicle Agency ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics’

1. This is the thirty-eighth edition of the quarterly report ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics’, relating to January to March 2024, and financial year 2023/24.
2. The release covers the main DVA business areas: vehicle testing, theory testing, driver testing, driver licensing, road transport and taxi licensing, enforcement, goods operator licensing and advanced driving and motorcycle instructors.
3. Also included in the quarterly report are monitoring results for the last quarter of 2023/24 and for the full financial year in respect of two key driver licensing performance targets.
4. Vehicle licensing statistics for 2023/24 quarter two July to September 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 October to December 2023 will be published when the extract data files relating to these months are made available by DFT.
5. 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. 
6. The report is written and issued by NISRA statisticians posted to the DVA. 
7. ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator and Enforcement Statistics’ is published every quarter at pre-announced release dates, which are available from the GOV.UK website.
8. Electronic copies of the ‘DfI Driver, Vehicle, Operator, and Enforcement Statistics 2023-24 Quarter Three’ can be downloaded from our website at: Driver & Vehicle Agency Activity Statistics
9. A detailed User Guidance document is also available on our website.
10. 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.
11. For further information, please contact:DVA Statistics,Driver and Vehicle Agency,Hydebank House,4 Hospital Road,Ballydollaghan,Belfast,BT8 8JP
    Tel (public enquiries):  02890 547911 (Text relay prefix 18001)
    E-mail:  dva.statistics@nisra.gov.uk
    Website:  https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/driver-vehicle-agency-activity-statistics
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.
13. Follow the Department on X/(Twitter) @deptinfra, on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure and on LinkedIn at Department for Infrastructure.

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