Learner drivers held at the lights by DSA web switch

The Driving Standards Agency has issued a warning to learner drivers advising them that it will be unable to accept driving test bookings for two days due to it switching its processes online.

The service will be down from Friday 11 April until Monday 14 April - during which time the DSA will be unable to take bookings from learners and instructors looking to set test dates for the practical part of the exam.

As part of the government's ongoing move online, the DSA plans to be able to offer a web-based booking service, which will enable applicants to set test dates via the Agency's website. All government services and departments have been charged with moving online by 2005.

This week's offline downtime will be caused by the necessary overhaul of existing IT hardware and software at the Agency in order to implement this switch.

Brian Gilhooley, operational director at the DSA, said: "We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause practical test candidates. Full service will resume on Monday 14 April when we will have the maximum number of staff available to clear any backlog of calls.

"We hope that by warning of the disruption, people will be able to work round it. And we hope that our customers notice the difference in the time it will take to book a test when the service resumes on 14 April."

Although the DSA claims the downtime will last just two days, it appears Sunday will still be a day of rest - a luxury which many companies without the security of a government Agency would love to have when implementing major system changes.