Over 1,200 learner drivers turned away from tests due to not having proof of insurance

Vivienne Clarke

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said that they are “working tirelessly” to accommodate as soon as possible the 11 percent of people who were turned away from their driving tests because they could not provide proof that their vehicle was insured.

More than 1,200, or 11 per cent, of driving tests were cancelled over the last two weeks because of issues with the presentation of insurance documentation.

Since March 9th, learner drivers have been required to provide evidence that they are insured to drive the vehicle in which they do the test.

The measure was introduced after an agreement was reached in a dispute over insurance cover between the RSA and the Fórsa trade union, which represents driving testers.

Chief Operations Officer of the RSA, Brendan Walsh, told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that they were trying to get the people who had been turned away back for their test as quickly as possible, in some cases as quickly as two days.

“My other teams who are supporting the driving testing community are working tirelessly to try and accommodate customers and get them into slots as quick as we possibly can.”

Walsh explained that the issue had arisen when Fórsa had claimed that testers were not fully covered by the State Claims Agency while carrying out their duties, particularly when conducting tests in uninsured vehicles.

“There was an assumption that they were getting into vehicles with customers who may not be insured despite displaying an insurance disc in the actual window.

"The reality is, as part of our engagement process with the union and also subsequently with the umbrella organisation, the MIBI, of the insurance companies in Ireland, we are satisfied that they are fully insured, regardless if they're sitting in a vehicle with somebody who is not insured.”

Testers would be fully covered by the MIBI in the event of any incident involving a learner driving during their test, even if they were driving an uninsured vehicle, he said.

“So any damages that they would incur personally, from their perspective, they would be one hundred percent covered. The matter then would differ between the uninsured driver and the person they've hit.”

Walsh said the RSA continued to engage with the union and had confirmation from the MIBI that their staff were fully covered with insurance.

He went on to explain that when a driver comes in for a test, they had to tick a box declaring they were insured and they had to have a valid insurance disc displayed in the window of the vehicle.

Under the new agreement, union drivers must now present either a paper copy or a digital copy of their insurance before they can do their test.