No Covid infections from driving tests, finds RSA

The Irish Examiner reported this week that more than 100,000 learner drivers are waiting for their tests.

Not a single instance of confirmed Covid-19 infection stemming from a driving test has been logged so far by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

The detail is contained in a study of possible coronavirus transmission during driving tests which found that in a large car, the ideal scenario for risk reduction was to have all four windows partially open, with rear windows let down a little further than the front.

The Irish Examiner reported this week that more than 100,000 learner drivers are waiting for their tests.

Only essential workers are eligible to sit a driving test at present, and, of the 101,352 people waiting for a test, only 5,434 are scheduled.

The study also said having three people in a smaller car — even with front windows both lowered around 3.5in — was not a suitable arrangement for a driving test.

Air changes per hour

The study looked at what was described as “air changes per hour” — which it said was affected by car speed, ventilation settings, and window openings.

It said that a car, when stationary with all windows closed and fan off, had an air change per hour typically below one.

However, even opening one window of the car fully while it was standing still could increase the number of air changes each hour to 6.5.

The report said sitting within a stationary vehicle should be minimised and that for periods likely to exceed a minute of standing still, all windows should “be fully if not substantially opened”.

Vehicle movement substantially improved ventilation and at speeds of over 32km/h — even opening a single window by 3in could increase the number of air changes by eight to 16 times.

Large car v small car

The RSA team also tested out airflow in two types of car during driving test conditions, the first involving BMW5 Series vehicles and the second a two-door Fiat 500 Abarth.

In a BMW-type car, they said the ideal scenario was to have both front windows open between 2.25in and 2.5in, with the rear windows down between 3.25in and 3.5in.

It said this created the most balanced conditions for allowing ventilation while avoiding difficulties for driving and communication within the car.

For the smaller two-door car, they said that when driving, the best setting was to have both front windows open between 3.35in and 3.5in.

The official report states: “The test drive also concluded that a smaller car with significantly smaller interior passenger compartment, with only two window openings was not suitable for three-person occupancy [during a driving test].” 

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The guidance said that its goal was to establish safety systems that could be put to practical use and said consultation had taken place with RSA staff.

It said the agency should continue to periodically review the effectiveness of its risk controls based on the latest advice from government and scientific literature.

The report also said cars should be given “pre-entry ventilation” if possible before driver testing with doors left open for two to three minutes before getting in.

RSA spokesman Brian Farrell said the independent review had been commissioned late last year to help guide the agency in providing tests in a way that avoided as much risk as possible.

He said: “The external review provided RSA with additional assurances that our staff and public would remain safe when undertaking tests and evidence to date continues to support the fact that this is the case.

“To date, we have not had any reported cases of transmission between a member of the public and our staff members. This is in no small part due to the work of all of our staff in ensuring they adhere to the preventative measures we have in place, as well as the public who comply with our Covid protocols on their presentation for the test.”