Learner drivers in rural parts of Scotland have told BBC News of their frustration as they wait months to sit their tests.
One said they were unable to book a test in their local area at all, while another faces a wait of up to five months.
It has led to fears that the mobility and employment prospects of young people in rural areas is being jeopardised.
On Wednesday, UK government Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told MPs her department aimed to end the backlog across the country by summer next year.
Dylan Whiteley, 17, from Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire, has been trying to book his driving test for the last seven weeks, but cannot find any in the area where he lives.
"I'm going away to university in mid-September, and that's coming close," he said.
"I'll hopefully be able to get a test by then, but if something happens – if I fail it or anything – then it will be really tricky to get it done."
Dylan said he was prepared to look at booking a test in a different part of the country if he had to.
"The test itself would obviously be a lot more difficult having not driven on those roads as much, but if it comes to it and the wait times are less, then it might have to be," he said.
