At ADINJC we are surprised to hear of ADIs who have work planned for next week!  We would strongly urge everyone to wait until we hear what the PM has to say at 7pm on Sunday before starting to make any plans about going back to work. Currently we need to stay at home to stay safe.  Driving lessons, unless they are for key workers, are not an essential journey, and we are unable to practice social distancing.  Once we hear what the PM has said then we will put together some best practice guidelines which we will share with members as soon as we can.

In our opinion, and until we have seen proper research into their use, using plastic security screens in the car is not recommended.  As ADIs it’s essential we can reach across to the steering wheel if necessary, and any holes cut in the screen can allow the virus through anyway, so it is questionable how effective they would be.

Neither would we recommend using plastic visors/shields.  Guidelines we have seen from people working as delivery drivers are stating that plastic visors must not be used when driving for safety reasons.  Both of these ‘solutions’ could be dangerous in the event of an airbag being deployed.

Everyone will need to do a proper risk assessment to ensure they are not passing on the virus, and that their vehicle would be safe in the event of a crash, before they can consider a return to work.

We would therefore urge people to be cautious about their decision to return to work.  We perfectly understand that people are suffering financially and are keen to be working, but this shouldn’t be at the expense of their, and other people’s, health

 

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DVSA highlights guidance on critical worker driver training to regional police forces.

DVSA have written to police forces regionally to draw their attention to the agency’s official guidance on the training and testing of critical workers at this time.  The Chief Executive of the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has issued the following guidance to ADIs:

Providing driving lessons for people whose work is critical to the coronavirus response
I’m aware that some of the people whose work is critical to the coronavirus response will need to finish their driving lessons and be able to use a vehicle for their test. I’m very grateful to those of you who are able to continue providing lessons for those who need them.  In line with our plans to only provide tests for candidates who have an essential need, when taking lessons, we recommend that you ask candidates to bring appropriate ID with them demonstrating the need for them to take lessons – for example, an ID badge, payslip or letter from their employer.

DVSA have requested that constabularies take account of this advice and include it in wider police guidance on What constitutes a reasonable excuse to leave the place where you live?. They have also asked that it is circulated to all appeal handling units so that any trainer who receives a fine in the course of their work (and is able to prove the training was necessary) can have this guidance considered in mitigation.

Forces nationwide, alongside traffic enforcement officers on the Strategic Road Network, have previously been made aware of the Key Worker Trainer register and the need for some trainers to be conducting some on-road training at this time.

 

Stay safe and enjoy whatever you’re doing.

 

 

 

Whilst our newsflashes are normally a benefit of membership of the ADINJC, during this national emergency we want to share information as widely as possible, so please feel free to pass this on.  We are stronger together.

 

The NJC continues to be dedicated to help you in these challenging times and we hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.  Please feel free to contact us for help and support.

 

ADINJC’s helpline is 0800 8202 444

The Secretary’s number is 07855 453414

HMRC Helpline:  0800 0159 559

Citizens Advice Bureau – https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/health/coronavirus-what-it-means-for-you/

Samaritans: 116 123

You can sign up to receive Government updates on Coronavirus relating to driving tests here.

The ADINJC is a national association run by ADIs on a not-for-profit basis.  We work tirelessly to inform, represent and support our members, and to promote the interests of our profession.