DVSA SOP’s..

DVSA Standard Operating Procedure

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Conducting driving tests (car)

UPDATED 23 August 2021

This standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the procedures you should follow when conducting driving tests (car).

Waiting rooms

Waiting rooms are open at most test centres.

Waiting rooms are for ADIs or other accompanying drivers to wait in while the candidate is on test. LDTMs have completed risk assessments for waiting rooms which are open.

If the waiting room is not open at your test centre, lock the door when you leave the building. Where this is not possible, a local arrangement should be agreed to make sure the building is secure.

Toilet facilities

Any candidates, ADIs and accompanying drivers should be given access to the toilet facilities where they are available, upon request.

People using the toilet facilities should wear a face covering. They must clean the facilities before and after use. A poster will be provided with instructions for cleaning the toilet.

LDTMs should make sure that cleaning materials are available in the toilets.

Face coverings

Candidates must wear a face covering, unless there are exceptional circumstances, which must have been pre-notified and agreed upon.

If the candidate does not have a face covering

You can provide them with one, they must wear it for the duration of the test. They must also keep the face covering after the test and not leave it on site.

Where a candidate arrives for test wearing a face covering, you may need to ask them to temporarily remove their face covering to confirm their identity.

In Scotland only

You can refuse to carry out the test if the person providing tuition or the candidate are not wearing a face covering when they arrive at the test centre. You should not refuse them if they live in the same household or they have a good reason not to wear one.

If the candidate refuses to wear a face covering

Candidates are asked to inform us if they have a good reason for not wearing a face covering at the point they book their test. We then match them with driving examiners who have volunteered to conduct tests for candidates who cannot wear face coverings.

If the candidate refuses to wear a face covering and they did not pre-notify us, and a volunteer is not available to take the test, you must terminate the test.

Record the termination using activity code 22 (this code is also used for no L-Plates).

Religious coverings

If the candidate is wearing a niqab (full face veil worn for religious purposes), be sensitive to ensuring their privacy when carrying out the identity check. You must consider the candidates wishes of their face not being seen by others.

This may mean just asking them to position with their back towards others present before removing their niqab. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to wait for other candidates to leave the car park before the identity can be checked.

Glasses and face coverings

If the candidate presents for test wearing glasses and a face covering, make them aware of the increased possibility of glasses/eye protection fogging up.

Where issues arise with this on test, offer advice and guidance to help resolve the problem. If the issues continue to interfere with the safety of the test, terminate the test on safety grounds. You must record the termination using activity code 22 (this code is also used for no L-Plates).

Before leaving the office

When leaving the office:

• wash your hands

• put on a face covering before leaving the office (your desk in Scotland and Wales)

and ensure you cover your mouth and nose, leaving no gaps between your face and

the covering

• avoid touching the covering while using it. If you do, either wash your hands with

soap and water if at the test centre or use hand sanitiser

• avoid touching your face with your hands

Meeting the candidate

Meet and greet the candidate by their car in the car park. For driving test centres (DTCs) without car parks, the candidate has been instructed to wait outside the building – meet them there.

You must politely remind the accompanying driver of the requirement for social distancing.

Before carrying out the preliminary parts of the driving test, ask the candidate to ventilate the car. Depending on the situation and weather, this may be by having doors or windows open.

Do not:

• shake the candidate’s hand

• let the candidate touch the iPad, stylus or paper contingency test report

ADIs and accompanying drivers

ADI’s / accompanying drivers will not be able to accompany the test.

Explain to the candidate that you’ll offer a debrief at the end of the test. But the ADI / accompanying driver will only be invited to listen in if social distancing can be maintained.

Clear symptoms

If the candidate comes to the test with clear symptoms the test must not go ahead.

If the candidate becomes unwell and displays clear symptoms during the test, you must stop the test.

If you terminate a test for either of these reasons, you must:

1. record code 22 on the DES app

2. inform the candidate they’ll receive a new booking confirmation with a rearranged

test date, free of charge

3. call the examiner hotline 0115 6 713 143 to inform the customer service centre

Handling suspected or known coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in driver services

Preliminary checks

If the weather is bad, complete these next steps inside the vehicle.

Insurance and residency declaration

Ask the candidate/ADI if they have a pen. If they do not, provide them with one and an:

• insurance and residency declaration form (Word)

• insurance and residency declaration form (Welsh) (Word) Ask the candidate to:

• read the insurance and residency declaration form

• tick the boxes if they agree with the statements

• sign it

Without handling the licence, you must:

1. compare their signature on the form to the one on their licence

2. carry out the UV check without physically handling the licence

3. mark a cross X in the signature box on either the iPad or the paper contingency test

report, to confirm that the candidate has agreed with the statements and has satisfied the identity checks

Ask the candidate if they would like their test result emailed to them. Check the candidate’s email address is correct.

If the candidate wants to change their email address, you should:

1. ask them to write the new email address on the insurance and residency declaration form

2. enter this email address onto the iPad without touching the form

3. confirm the details have been entered accurately

The candidate must keep the insurance and residency declaration form. If they borrowed a pen, it must be wiped with an anti-viral wipe after the candidate hands it back to you.

Cleaning of cars presented for test

You must be satisfied that the interior of the vehicle presented for test has been recently cleaned.

This means that they should have:

• tidied any unnecessary items away from the dashboard, footwells, door pockets, cup holders and seats

• wiped down the dashboard and car controls The vehicle does not need to have had a full valet.

There may be leaves, grit or other dirt brought into the footwell of the vehicle from outside. This is acceptable.

Give the ADI and candidate a reasonable amount of time to take any actions to make the car clean. You should not turn away a test that could reasonably be conducted.

Entering the vehicle

You must use an anti-viral wipe to clean:

• the passenger door handles inside and outside

• the dashboard in the examiner area

• any other touch points

Ventilation inside the vehicle during the test

The car must have at least one window open on each side throughout the test. Any combination of windows can be opened, for example, one from the front and back.

The windows do not have to be fully open. They need to be lowered enough to allow a good flow of air through the vehicle.

In bad weather

Do not open the windows so far that the inside of the vehicle becomes overly wet or causes the candidate discomfort.

Candidates are being advised to wear clothing suitable for the weather.

Air conditioning, other ventilation systems and demisters can also be used, as long as they have a fresh air supply.

Direct vents away from your face. The risks of transmission via air conditioning and demisters is low.

Conducting the test

Conduct the test as normal, as per DT1 guidance with the following exception.

Curtailing tests when failed

Where a candidate fails the test either by committing a serious or dangerous fault or by making 16 driving faults, you should direct the candidate back to the test centre taking the most convenient route.

Do not tell the candidate to the outcome of the test until arriving back at the test centre. Do not carry out any additional test requirements.

If the failure point is during the independent driving section, you should end the independent drive and give normal directions back to the test centre.

Continue to assess and record any faults identified on the route back to the test centre. This may mean arriving back at the test centre having not fully completed the test. In this case, the test will be terminated in the interest of public safety at the test centre and completed using activity code 4.

You do not need to record these tests on the terminated test log, unless the drive was terminated and stopped on the road in the interest of public safety.

During the debrief explain to the candidate that the test has been curtailed following the point at which the test had been failed, and that continuing the test would have made no difference to the outcome.

At the end of the test

If the candidate has passed, you should read the health declaration to the candidate and ask if the statement is true.

If the candidate agrees, mark a cross X in the signature box on either the iPad or the paper contingency test report to confirm that the candidate has agreed with the statement.

When completing the DVSA10 pass certificate, you can take the driver number from the iPad. You’ll see it at the top of the screen where the pass certificate number is entered.

You should take the candidate’s licence in the usual way for ADLI issue. The iPad and wallet should be closed before handling the driving licence. This avoids the iPad becoming contaminated.

When you return to the office

You must:

• wear a face covering when moving around the office if your site specific risk assessment says you should

• shred the licence, if in receipt of it

• clean the sat nav, pen and mirror if used with anti-viral spray or wipes

• wash your hands (and arms if wearing short sleeves)

If the test was conducted on the DES app, all write ups should be done using the voice to text function or individually assigned keyboards.

If you do not use an iPad, complete the test using the paper contingency test report. This will need to be rekeyed by an iPad user once completed.

Accompanied tests

There are times when it might be necessary to have an accompanied test, such as:

• for quality control purposes

• identified development needs

• new entrant development plans

• where an HS1 was submitted following a previous test

• conducting a test with a British Sign Language interpreter (deaf candidates only)

Where the test is accompanied

The person accompanying should:

• wash their hands and put a face covering on before leaving the office

• put on a face covering and ensure they cover their mouth and nose, leaving no gaps

between their face and the covering

• avoid touching the covering while using it. If they do, they should either wash their

hands with soap and water if at the test centre or use hand sanitiser

• avoid touching their face with their hands

To enable lip reading, BSL interpreters may not be required to wear face coverings. This must be pre-notified and agreed upon.

HS1 tests

The LDTM should review the case history and associated risks, and decide if it’s necessary for the test to be accompanied where a candidate’s driving test has been flagged for being accompanied to:

• reduce the need for extra people in the car

• enable social distancing as much as reasonably possible

If the LDTM considers the risk to be low then they can, at their discretion, take the test unaccompanied.

In these cases, the LDTM must bring their mobile phone on test with them. They should also consider any other additional measures they might need, such as having support available at the test centre at the start and end of the test.

If the LDTM is not satisfied there is a low enough risk, then the test should be accompanied. The LDTM should follow the measures as described above for an accompanied test.

Supervised tests

Following a supervised test, feedback should be given to the examiner confidentially keeping social distance. Quality Monitoring Forms (QMF) used on the test can be handed to the examiner for review and signature.

The examiner and supervising examiner should both wash their hands before and after paperwork review.