DVSA Standard Operating Procedure

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

UPDATED 5 November 2020 - (Nothing new - You might find it interesting?) - Derek

Extra time will be made for each test

To allow you to take all additional precautions as outlined in this standard operating procedure, extra time will be made for each test.

When appointments have been arranged

You’ll receive a journal through either:

• the driving examiner services (DES) app the day before, or

• an email generated by deployment through the testing and registration system

(TARS)

Taking the driving test

Wear suitable clothing, providing as much covering as reasonable. Short sleeved shirts can be worn. You should:

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

• put the face covering on ensuring you cover your mouth and nose, making

sure there are no gaps between your face and the covering

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

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

whilst on test

• avoid touching your face with your hands

You may choose to wear gloves. If you do, you should wear them as soon as your face covering is fitted and for the duration of the test.

You should take additional face coverings and gloves on test with you in case they become wet in bad weather.

Meeting the candidate

Some waiting rooms will remain closed until further notice. Any candidates, ADIs and accompanying drivers should be given access to the toilet facilities where they are available, upon request.

This standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the procedures you should follow in

conducting a driving test.

If accessing the facilities means walking through a waiting room that is being used for extra desk space, ensure clear desk policy is adhered to. People using the toilet should be escorted through the building to access them.

People using the toilet facilities will be asked to clean before and after use themselves.

LDTMs should ensure that cleaning materials are available in the toilets. A poster will be provided with instructions for cleaning the toilet and how to dispose of any PPE they may use.

When leaving the building the door should be locked to prevent candidates / members of the public entering the building. Where this is not possible, a local arrangement should be agreed to make sure the building is secure.

Meeting and greeting will now take place in the car park. For Driving Test Centres (DTC) without car parks, the meet and greet will take place at the usual parking area the candidates use or outside the DTC.

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

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. It must be worn for the duration of the test. The candidate must keep the face covering and not leave it on site.

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.

Should the candidate refuse

Should the candidate refuse to wear a face covering and did not pre-notify, the test cannot continue unless there is a volunteer available. If the test is terminated for this reason, record it using activity code 22 (this code is also used for no L-Plates).

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.

Should the candidate be wearing a niqab (full face veil worn for religious purposes), you should 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.

If candidates present for test are 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/stop the test on safety grounds. If the test is terminated for this reason, record it using activity code 22 (this code is also used for no L-Plates).

Find out more about how to wear and make your own cloth face covering.

Social distancing measures

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

Do not:

• shake the candidate’s hand

• let the candidate touch the iPad, stylus or paper DL25

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

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

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

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

Carry out the UV check without physically handling the licence. This will be a part of the usual identity check.

Confirmation

Mark a cross X in the signature box on either the iPad or the paper DL25 to confirm that the candidate has agreed with the statements and has satisfied the identity checks.

If you’re a DES app user, ask the candidate if they’d like their test result emailed to them.

If the candidate wants to change their email address, you should ask them to write the new email address on the separate piece of paper the candidate has. You should enter this email address onto the iPad.

Ask the candidate to keep the insurance and residency declaration form. They must not leave it on site. This amended process avoids you contaminating your gloves before conducting the test.

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.

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.

However, you should not turn away a test that could reasonably be conducted. Before entering the car, you may choose to fit a disposable seat cover to your seat. Use an anti-viral wipe to clean:

• the passenger door handles inside and outside

• the dashboard in the examiner area

• any other touch points

Dispose of the wipe in line with the PPE disposal guidance.

Any seat covers and wipes used must be taken away and disposed of with PPE waste at the end of the test.

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

Further guidance

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

Ventilation

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.

Conduct the test as normal, as per DT1 guidance with the following exception. Exception to conducting a test as normal

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 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.

You should 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.

These should not be recorded on the terminated test log, unless the drive was terminated and stopped on the road in the interest of public safety.

Do not tell the candidate to the outcome of the test until arriving back at the test centre.

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.

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 the face covering on ensuring it covers their mouth and nose, making sure

there are 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

while on test

• avoid touching their face with their hands

They can wear gloves if they wish to.

To avoid inhibiting 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 is necessary for the test to be accompanied, where a candidates 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 should not be handed to the examiner. A screen shot of the completed QMF with comments on the examiner’s performance, including any development needs, should be emailed to the them. Confirm receipt of the form via email.

At the end of the test

If the candidate has passed, you should read the health declaration to 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 DL25 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:

• shred the licence, if in receipt of it

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

• correctly remove your single use gloves (if worn), following HSE guidance

(PDF)

• if worn, dispose of your gloves

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

If you choose to wear gloves, use a new pair for each test.

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 user or you’re conducting a test currently not available on the DES app, complete the test using the paper DL25 form.

Post the DL25A to the Newcastle scanning team as normal. Contingency is in place to have staff available to scan the paper DL25s.

At the moment, there remains sufficient traffic on the roads to ensure that a meaningful test can be conducted. This will be reviewed regularly.

Disposing of PPE and disposable face coverings

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves and anti-viral wipes, must be disposed of separately to general waste.

PPE must be disposed of and double bagged daily. At the end of the day the bag must be clearly marked by taping on a note showing the date it can be collected.

It will be collected using normal collection methods and must be at least 72 hours after the items were disposed of.