Following a Tier 1 stakeholder meeting with DVSA and potential for increasing key worker tests NASP want to update their advice to ADIs.
There has been some confusion around Key and Critical workers, DVSA are now referring to Key workers and emergency testing for key workers.
NASP advise that trainers should carefully evaluate the risks of on road training at this time, and establish whether there is an essential need for such before taking on any new key worker pupil.
We remind trainers that they engage in in-vehicle training during this period entirely at their own discretion due to the risks involved
Training NASP recommend is deemed unessential, and therefore to be avoided:
• Learner and novice training of any non-key worker
• Learner and novice driver/rider training from scratch where the pupil is a key worker but does not have an essential need to drive at this time (i.e. they can use other modes of transport to commute, they are not required to drive for work) – it is also unlikely new Learners would be licenced in a timeframe to be able to undertake a useful and safe driving role as a key worker at this time, and it would potentially cause too much road risk (due to their inexperience) to encourage novice drivers to gain licences rapidly and undertake pressured occupational driving roles at this time
• Training or driver/rider development of a driver or rider who is not a key worker
• Training or driver development where the key worker (whether full licence holder, vocational licence holder etc.) does not have an essential need to drive in their role (i.e. they are not driving for work, or could commute using alternative forms of transport)
Training which could be deemed necessary at this time
• Key workers who have a practical emergency test confirmed with DVSA
• Key workers requiring new licences for essential front line roles: i.e. emergency response workers acquiring a first licence or needing licences in new categories
• Key workers needing driver or rider development in order to safely and competently drive or ride in different/new vehicles (they are unused to) in the same licence category: i.e. delivery drivers
• Key workers needing driver or rider development to drive in a new, or increased, occupational context and whose driving risk may therefore be greater i.e. increased commuting to multiple work locations, undertaking increased driving/riding in contexts they are unused to (motorway driving, increased driving after dark, rural roads, unfamiliar vehicles, UK familiarisation)
Risk Assessment:
Trainers should carefully consider the risks involved in delivering in- vehicle at this time, due to not being able to socially distance.
Therefore NASP recommends, trainers should carry out a risk assessment of each pupil and their training requirements before embarking on any on-road training.
Examples of Key Worker Training which may be required at this time
• A nurse or other frontline healthcare professional who is now required to work at different hospital locations, and therefore now needs to increase the amount of occupational driving they are doing, including using motorways (which they are unused to, and nervous of) so they have enquired about some driver development in this respect.
• A community worker being required to take their CBT in order to be more agile in their work covering multiple locations in a city centre
• Someone who has been recruited as a delivery driver covering rural areas and wants more development using rural roads and after dark driving, given they will have mainly late shifts.
• A Key Worker new to the UK and being required to drive, needing some UK Familiarisation training
DVSA STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR CRITICAL WORKER TESTS DURING COVID 19
These are available to read on the NASP website at www.n-a-s-p.co.uk, as is this update.
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.
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