Rochester, N.Y. - A letter from the Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the State Department of Motor Vehicles confirms that there have been "several physical assaults" of License Examiners in New York State.
Timothy Lemmon was responding to concerns from a resident about why some road test sites across the state are being eliminated or consolidated.
Lemmon cited a study of all road test sites in 2009 which revealed the assaults on examiners.
A spokesperson for the State DMV wouldn't tell us where the assaults happened or how many examiners were affected. They did say that people take road tests very seriously and when they fail, some people become angry. In most of the cases, it was the person who accompanied the driver to the test who became abusive.
The DMV spokesperson did acknowledge there are safety concerns and that is why 11 test sites could possibly be consolidated or eliminated.
Those locations being studied include one in Hornell and another one in Bath. As well as a site in Lyons, Wayne County. How were they chosen? The DMV says there isn't as much traffic at these sites and in most cases, there is only one examiner and the goal is to have two at each location, for the safety of the testers.
There have also been three sudden resignations at the Rochester road test sites. That left the city with just one full-time examiner. The state has brought in three other workers to help out.
This shortage of examiners has lead to a longer wait to schedule road tests. Where it once took five to six weeks to get an appointment, it can now be as long as four months.
