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Guidelines for driving lessons as a result of COVID-19 (02/07/2020)

Following the easing of restrictions imposed by the UK Government in its attempt to restrict the contagion of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), it will be necessary to implement some significant changes to how driving lessons will be conducted in the weeks and months ahead. This document will hopefully give you some reassurance with regard to the measures that I will be introducing to protect the health and well being of both you and me, and our respective families and friends, if we are to safely return to work. These are measures that are derived from the recommendations of the National Associations Strategic Partnership, a representative body formed from the three main driving instructor membership associations.

At this moment in time, the population does not have any proven immunity from COVID 19 and, as yet, we have no vaccine or nationwide tracing app (although this is in development) for the virus, so it still has the potential to spread extensively. Instructors will need to remain alert and will have to make our own risk assessments concerning the provision a safe system of work.

Each of us will need to consider:

• If you or I have any symptoms
• If you or I fall into higher risk groups
• If you or I have a relative or partner we are living with who is also moderate or high risk

The main symptoms of COVID 19 described by the government are (but not exclusively):

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss of taste or smell

COVID-19 can make anyone seriously ill. But for some people, the risk is higher. There are 2 levels of higher risk as described on the gov.uk website:

• high risk (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• moderate risk (clinically vulnerable)

People at high risk from coronavirus include people who:

• have had an organ transplant
• are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer, including immunotherapy
• are having an intense course of radiotherapy (radical radiotherapy) for lung cancer
• are having targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system (such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors)
• have blood or bone marrow cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
• have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the past 6 months, or are still taking immunosuppressant medicine
• have been told by a doctor they you have a severe lung condition (such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma or severe COPD)
• have a condition that means they have a very high risk of getting infections (such as SCID or sickle cell)
• are taking medicine that makes them much more likely to get infections (such as high doses of steroids)
• were born with a serious heart condition and are pregnant

If you're at high risk from coronavirus, you should have received a letter from the NHS. If you're at high risk from coronavirus, you're advised to take extra steps to protect yourself. This includes not leaving your home for any reason (called shielding).

People at moderate risk from coronavirus include people who:

• are 70 or older
• are pregnant
• have a lung condition that's not severe (such as asthma, COPD, emphysema or bronchitis)
• have heart disease (such as heart failure)
• have diabetes
• have chronic kidney disease
• have liver disease (such as hepatitis)
• have a condition affecting the brain or nerves (such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy)
• have a condition that means they have a high risk of getting infections
• are taking medicine that can affect the immune system (such as low doses of steroids)
• are very obese (a BMI of 40 or above)

If you are at moderate risk from coronavirus, it's very important you follow current Government advice about staying at home to avoid getting coronavirus. This means you adhere strictly to the Social Distancing and should only leave your home for things like getting food or medicine.

If you're pregnant and worried about coronavirus, there is advice on the gov.uk website.

Government advice for employers is for those who cannot work from home to follow social distancing guidelines which suggest keeping 2 metres apart from colleagues or customers. This is impossible for driver trainers in a car. However, the current guidance does not require every workplace to have a 2 metre distance between people, it says, “Where possible” and so if it is not possible it doesn’t mean you can’t necessarily work. I have been personally advised by South Yorkshires Police’s legal services that the 2 metre guidance is not part of the law.

Recommencing Work:

When we are finally allowed to return to work and restart driving lessons, it will be necessary that you and I follow these guidelines:

Before collecting you:

I need to consider whether you or I have had any symptoms of the virus within the last 7 days or have been in contact with someone who has within the last 14 days. Therefore, before I leave to collect you for a lesson:

• I will contact you and check if you have had any symptoms of the virus within the last 7 days
• I will check if you know or have been in contact with anyone that is showing symptoms, or has been doing so within the last 14 days
• Remind you to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds immediately before leaving the house for your lesson. If you want to wear disposable gloves, these must be put on just before getting into the car, not in your house
• It is advised that you wear clothing that is suitable and covers as much of you as possible, Short sleeved tops are now acceptable. It is likely that the car windows will be open to allow for ventilation so it may be cooler
• Between lessons, I will cleanse all necessary points of contact of the car, i.e. door handles, windows and mirror controls, seat and head restraints, seatbelt and its connection, gear lever, steering wheel, indicator and wiper stalks, car keys and training resources. Please wait inside your house (or place of pick up) and allow me time to complete this
• Once I arrive and have cleansed the car, you will not be able to get straight in it. Instead we will have to meet by the car, keeping the recommended separation distance apart (currently still 2 metres) and I will assess whether you are well enough to start the lesson
• I need to be 100% happy with your wellness, if I am not then sadly, we will not start the lesson. It will be necessary to cancel until you have recovered fully
• I will check that you have washed your hands and will have hand sanitiser ready to use. I will also clean mine with hand sanitiser, both of us should then avoid touching our face with our hands
• I will not shake your hand, share visual aids, pens, etc. with you and will be minimising contact with you for safety
• We will avoid using the air conditioning if possible, however if it is used it will not be set to recirculate
• It is unfortunate but parents, guardians or friends, will not be able to sit in on lessons
• New clients will have had your licence checked electronically. To verify the details, you will be asked to hold the photocard licence up so I can check it. I will not touch or take the licence from you

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

• Hand sanitiser will be kept in the car for us to clean our hands as frequently as is necessary
• Antibacterial wipes and household disinfectant spray will be used to clean down the car between lessons
• All used wipes and cloths will be placed in disposable bin bags
• Disposable gloves – I will not be wearing or providing these. If you wish to wear them then you will need to obtain your own. You will still need to wash your hands before leaving your house, but do not put your gloves on until you are at the car. You will be responsible for taking them away with you and disposing of them appropriately. Please note that wearing these will possibly make your hands hot and sweaty
• Face masks – I will be wearing my own face mask and would appreciate it if all clients do likewise. You will be responsible for obtaining your own face covering, be it a shop bought disposable mask, a homemade reusable face mask, or something like a scarf. You must ensure that this is comfortable to wear for the duration of your lesson. If you wear glasses, check that your face covering does not cause these to fog up. Suggestions on how to prevent this can be found online
• Whilst wearing a face covering is not required by law, wearing one will be a necessary condition for a lesson to go ahead. Initially I will have a limited supply of disposable masks in case you forget your own, the disposal of these will be your responsibility
• When you use a mask, make sure you use a new one frequently and dispose of the old one safely and responsibly. Cloth ones need to be washed at least daily and at 60 degrees and above to be effective
• It is essential that the PPE equipment we choose does not impede our ability to control the vehicle or communication with each other. For that reason, I do not recommend plastic face visors or plastic screen dividers between us. They could be dangerous if they mist up or if an airbag is deployed, and they may be regarded as an adaptation to the vehicle which may result in an insurer refusing to cover the vehicle in the event of any incident

During the lesson:

• Visual aids and any training resources will be held up and not passed between us to hold and touch
• Writing will be done by me and we will not share pens or other devices where possible. If we do then these will be cleaned with anti-bac wipes straight afterwards
• We will try to avoid directly facing each other when discussing scenarios, it is safer to face forwards in the vehicle because we cannot maintain being 2 metres apart
• If I have to give a demonstration drive, I will need to wipe down the controls before and after the drive
• Wherever possible brief notes will be transferred digitally if required
• Lessons must be paid wherever possible using electronic payments such as bank transfers, or mobile apps, to avoid the need for cash transactions in the car. Please make sure you can do this in advance of your lesson. Many of the major banks use apps that allow instant payment methods. A free to use mobile payment system that the banks support is called Paym, and I can accept payments by this method

After the lesson:

• After we have finished the lesson, I will need to repeat some of the same processes that I did at the start of the lesson. After driving to pick up my next client, I will need to repeat the process again, in short, each time that someone has been in the driving seat. Please bear with me as I will try to make extra time between lessons to allow for this
• Remember to wash your hands as soon as you get back in to your house or other drop off point

Taking a client to test:

• We will have to allow time on arrival at the test centre (although we cannot arrive more than 5 minutes before the test time) for me to wipe down the examiners side of the vehicle, including seat and head restraint, seatbelt and its connection, the dashboard area and passenger door contact points
• Test times will be staggered so as to minimise the number of people gathering at the centre at any one time
• We will meet the examiner outside the test centre and not in the waiting room
• Test centre toilets will be unavailable unless someone has a disability, a medical condition, or is pregnant
• I will explain how the examiner will behave on arrival at the test centre
• I will not be allowed to accompany you on the test
• I may not be allowed to attend the debrief at the end of your test
• Candidates must agree to participate in the NHS Test and Trace initiative. The examiner will ask if this you are happy to take part. If you refuse, the test will not go ahead
• If you develop a cough, or become unwell during the test, the test will be stopped
• If you develop symptoms within the 3 days prior to your test, including test day itself, we will be able to rebook without you losing your fee
• The examiner may choose to fit a disposable seat cover to their seat, and will use anti-viral wipes to clean the touch points on their side of the car
• Examiners will wear a face covering
• Candidates MUST bring and wear a face covering for the duration of the test. The examiner can provide one to the candidate if needed. This is mandatory unless the DVSA is informed at the time of booking of a suitable reason why the candidate will not be able to wear a covering, such as a physical or mental illness, an impairment or a disability that would mean the candidate cannot put one on or remove one
• The examiner will ask you to briefly remove your face covering in order to verify your identity at the start of the test, before you then reapply it
• If you commit a serious or dangerous fault, or make 16 driving faults (often referred to as minor faults) that would result in a fail, you will be directed back to the test centre. Test conditions will continue until you return to the test centre, where the test will be ended and you will be offered a debrief

Terms and Conditions(T&Cs) during COVID 19:

My usual T&Cs may need to be revised during this time. An example would be for any late cancellation due to COVID-19. This could relate to the following situations:

• If you or I, or anyone in our households becomes unwell and has symptoms
• If you or I believe we may have been in contact with someone showing symptoms

In these situations, the usual late cancellation charge policy will not apply.

I would advise all clients to make use of the NHS Test and Trace system currently in place, and the UK track and trace app when it becomes available. To facilitate this, if I become aware of a case of coronavirus involving me, my family or any client who has had a lesson with me, it will be necessary for me to pass on your contact details to the NHS test and trace service. You could then expect to receive a text message from NHStracing or a call from 0300 0135000. This service will not:

• ask for bank details or payments
• ask for details of any other accounts, such as social media

• ask you to set up a password or PIN number over the phone
• ask you to call a premium rate number, such as those starting 09 or 087

Given the changing information from the government based upon scientific advice, these guidelines may be revised as and when official guidance is amended. Any such changes will be made available to all my drivers at that time.