Hello and welcome to our blog, in this article we aim to address the changes in the way practical driving tests will be delivered in the UK in light of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Burton Driving School has resumed driving lessons in Burton-on-Trent as of the 4th July with the view to prepare students for driving tests which will be scheduled after the 22nd July 2020.
Update 30/01/21: On the 4th Jan 2021 the UK was placed into the 3rd lockdown. As a result, among other restrictions, driving tests and driving lessons have been suspended until further notice. The restrictions will remain in place until at least the beginning of March but this is under constant review and is subject to change.
On the 25th of July, Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced that driving lessons could resume on the 4th of July 2020 and practical driving tests could be resume as of the 22nd July 2020. Following this announcement the DVSA has been scrambling to get info out to driving instructors and students alike.
As per the update above, the new lockdown restrictions mean that driving lessons and tests have been suspended until further notice. The guidance about how driving tests are conducted in light of Covid is unchanged, thus the information in this blog is accurate.
Something tells me that the DVSA knew very little about the announcement!
This article will aim to quickly provide the most relevant information about what to expect on your test day.
Booking a driving test
Unless you are a keyworker who applied for an emergency driving test or you had a driving test booked during the lockdown, you won't be able to book a new driving test at present.
The DVSA has prioritised driving tests for those who had their test cancelled due to the pandemic. Emails will begin to be sent out to the affected student as of the 16th of July. Don't worry if you haven't received yours yet, they are sending them out in batches according to when the test was originally due to take place. The email will contain a link that you can use to reschedule your test.
The test day
As you can probably guess, the test centre waiting room will be closed. You will be able to use the toilets upon request, however, you shouldn't arrive more than 5 minutes before your test.
I would suggest that you have adequately emptied your bladder and such before leaving your house, the 5 minutes would probably be best used to compose yourself before your test starts rather than making a mad dash to the toilet!
Lastly, you won't be allowed to have anyone accompany you on your test. This means your instructor or whoever has accompanied you will have to wait at the test centre - outside!
The examiner and social distancing
The examiner will wear a face covering, they may also wear gloves and a disposable seat cover during the test. The DVSA has also made it mandatory for students to bring and wear a face-covering during the test - there are some exceptions though which I will discuss below.
You won't have to wear a face-covering if:
You have a physical impairment, mental illness, or a disability that prevents you from putting it on, wearing it, or taking it off.
If putting on, wearing, and taking off the face-covering causes you severe distress.
If you have to remove the face-covering during the test to avoid harm or risk of harm to yourself or others.
You will be required to remove your face-covering briefly so that the examiner can check your identity. If the face-covering needs to be adjusted the examiner will ask you to stop somewhere safe to adjust it - if it becomes a safety issue the examiner may end the test early.
Also note, your test will be canceled if you arrive without a face covering and you didn't declare that you couldn't wear one at the time of booking your test.
During the test
The test will continue as normal as long as you haven't committed a serious or dangerous fault - basically, any fault which would cause you to fail. If you have failed the driving examiner will redirect you to the test center where the test will end.
The driving test will usually last around 40 minutes, if you arrive back early it will probably mean bad news, unfortunately.
At the end of the test
The examiner will ask you to exit the vehicle before giving you your test result. You will also be asked if you would like your instructor to come over and listen to the test result and feedback.
All of the measures discussed in this article have been put in place to minimise the amount of time you have to spend in the vehicle.
You must not come for your test if:
You or someone you live with has coronavirus symptoms.
You have recently returned back the UK in the 14 days leading up to your test - unless you have come back to England from one of the countries on this list
For Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales click here
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable click here for further guidance.
For more information from the DVSA about driving tests during the Covid-19 pandemic click here.
We hope that we have been able to provide some useful information and clarity regarding driving tests during these challenging times. Burton Driving School would like to thank you for visiting and look out for our next blog post.
If you enjoyed this blog, you may want to also check out our other blog - 5 Top tips to pass your driving test to make sure you're prepared for your test.