CONFUSION CAUSED BY faded road markings has resulted in some people failing their driving test.

That’s according to a major driving school, which has locations across Ireland.

The difficulty of tests has been increased by unclear or “invisible” lines and symbols, according to Clodagh Branagan, the director of Ladybird Driving School.

The firm has 28 locations around the country, including six in the Dublin area.

Speaking to The Journal, Branagan recounted experiences of her instructors, who say faded stop lines, yellow boxes, filter lanes and hatch markings are just some that have caught people out. 

“Especially when the weather is very bad, you cannot see anything,” Branagan said. 

There is supposed to be a visible yellow box at the junction of Mayberry Road and Greenhills Road in Kilnamanagh. Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan

Branagan and her colleagues have noticed the issue is particularly prevalent around Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire, but there are also examples in Killester, Raheny, and Naas, Co Kildare, where a number of their driving schools are located.

“In a lot of areas you would have to know the road due to poor markings,” Branagan said, adding that learners are not always able to practice in the test location.

“If they’re just driving around with their parents and then doing maybe one lesson with us the week of their test … they go, ‘Oh my god, this is so confusing. I didn’t see that road marking’.”

Faded arrows and lines in Tallaght Villag. Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan

Branagan has begun making TikTok videos of the places where mistakes are frequently made, so that her students can be prepared. 

One road in Tallaght has a very faded continuous white line in the centre and drivers are supposed to use the cycle lane for space. However, some people can’t see the centre line and end up driving into oncoming traffic.

I’ve actually been behind a test or two with people going on the wrong side of the road.

There are stop lines in Naas that people “cannot see at all”, Branagan said, so they drive straight through the junction.

“When it’s a day that’s raining or slightly foggy, definitely you wouldn’t be able to see them at all,” she said.

That can literally cause an accident – not even just for people on tests, but general road users.

Branagan said it’s “extremely frustrating” for both the driving examiner and the person taking the test, because they will be failed automatically in such cases.

Faded stop sign at Beech Park Drive, Dún Laoghaire. Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan

According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA)’s rules, testers shouldn’t penalise learners for mistakes caused by faded road markings.

“Faded or worn markings mitigate any fault which may be incurred,” the rule book states. “Where there are confusing or inappropriate road markings the tester should advise the applicant on the direction to be followed. A fault should not be recorded in this case.”

However, Branagan said that testers “are like football referees” and can have different interpretations of rules and situations arising during a test.

Multiple experienced driving instructors who spoke to The Journal said they agreed that faded road markings can impact test results, and that the rule book for testers was open to interpretation.

Faded stop line at Hillview Drive, Dún Laoghaire. Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan Courtesy of Clodagh Branagan

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said its traffic and road team hadn’t been aware that poor road markings were impacting driving tests, and that it would send technical staff to look at the affected areas.

“Road markings that are faded are generally brought to the attention of the County Council by members of the public or elected members. They may also be observed during routine site visits by technical staff,” the council said in a statement.

“Each location is inspected, and if the road markings need to be renewed, the site is added to the works list.

“Road markings may also be refreshed as part of wider projects, such as road resurfacing under a maintenance scheme or improvements under an Active Travel project.”

Kildare County Council said all requests for new or upgraded line markings are added to the road marking schedule for consideration.

It added that such works are usually done during drier months, when weather conditions allow the paint to adhere properly.

Dublin City Council did not respond to The Journal‘s query.