Driving test restart: 5 things to remember

Driving tests in England are restarting tomorrow (Wednesday 22 July).

To help keep you, your pupils and our examiners safe as testing restarts, here are 5 things we want you to do.

1. Keep your vehicle clean

You must make sure the inside of the vehicle is cleaned before the test. The examiner will also use an antiviral wipe to clean the passenger door and anything they’ll need to touch inside the vehicle.

2. Arrive at the right time

Do not arrive for the driving test more than 5 minutes before your appointment time.

The driving test centre waiting room will be closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, but the toilets will be available on request.

3. Make sure your pupil wears a face covering

Your pupil must wear a face covering when they come to the test centre, unless they have a good reason not to. This includes if:

• they have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means they cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering
• putting on, wearing or removing a face covering would cause them severe distress
• they need to remove it during your test to avoid harm or injury or the risk of harm or injury to themselves or others

Your pupil must have told us if they have a good reason not to wear a face covering when they chose a test.

It’s important that your pupil has practised driving wearing a face covering before their test.

If your pupil has a problem with their face covering during the test, their driving examiner will ask them to stop so they can adjust it. Their driving examiner will end the test early if it becomes a safety issue.

4. Check if your pupil should be self-isolating

Your pupil must not come to their driving test if:

• they or someone they live with has coronavirus symptoms
• they’ve been told by the NHS Test and Trace service that they’ve been in contact with a person who has coronavirus
• they have returned to the UK in the last 14 days, unless they travelled from certain countries or territories or are in other very limited situations

5. Check your pupil knows what happens if they make certain faults

Make sure your pupil knows that they can carry on if they make a mistake during their driving test.

If they make a serious or dangerous fault, which means they’ve failed, their driving examiner will direct them back to the driving test centre, where the test will end. This is to minimise the amount of time they need to spend in the vehicle.

More information

Check GOV.UK for more information about:

• theory tests
• driving tests
• guidance for instructors on the restart of training and testing

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