Driving schools: reopening from May 20th and rules for the protection of safety

The training of new aspiring owners of A licenses e B resumes from 20 May 2020, following the guidelines highlighted by Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The return to the activity of the civil motorization offices for the development of the exams follows precise methods that concern the theoretical and practical part.

The theoretical phase

The exams of theory provided in the classrooms of the civil motorization offices, considering compliance with the hygienic-sanitary principles in the environments and behavioral rules with the aid of protective devices, are carried out by: limiting the filling of the rooms; providing plexiglass protective screens on three sides in the workstations, where possible; carrying out extraordinary internal cleaning and disinfection sessions between exam shifts; distinguishing the access and exit routes from rooms and buildings; favoring single shifts of candidates from the same driving school or the same group of driving schools, thus avoiding new contacts or possible waits; reporting the result via electronic means to the driving schools or via e-mail in the case of private candidates; making the "self-instruction" video shown before the start of the test accessible only via the web at driving schools or independently, preventing candidates from remaining in the classroom beyond the time necessary for the test itself.
Considering these indications, it is noted that the Scientific Technical Committee during the meeting of 14 May 2020, in light of the critical issues due to possible aggregations at the locations where the theoretical exams are carried out and given the possible massive movements, suggested a possible mitigation of the phenomenon through carrying out theoretical exams “at driving schools, education centres, even in aggregate form”. Therefore, theory exams can also be carried out at the offices of professional operators using paper forms generated by the Department's IT system, taking into account the different needs in the area and in compliance with the provisions of the Ministry of Health and others authority, is underlined again on this occasion.

The practical phase

Moving on to driving exams, the candidates are identified in an open outdoor area and all those present respect social distancing, also wearing appropriate masks and gloves. The exam phases are developed ensuring that after the result the candidate can leave the area avoiding gatherings. Temperature measurement before testing is optional.
Speaking of the category licence A, the absence of the examiner on board the vehicle requires a rigorous and constant use of personal protective equipment during the exam and by all those present at the exam.
As they move on to the license B, further procedures are indicated considering the presence of the candidates, the necessary distancing and the different nature of the vehicle. In the first two phases required by law, only the candidate is present in the cockpit, inside an equipped and fenced area (as for the cat. A licence) and the examiner's requests will be formulated orally. The candidate will have to respond by carrying out the suggested maneuvers.
In shared use of the car, the candidate, the instructor and the examiner must wear a filter mask, visor or protective glasses, disposable gloves and must wash or sanitize their hands before accessing the car. After each exam, the driving school will have to clean shared objects. Following each exam, air exchange is also required for at least 5 minutes. Expected in total 25 minutes for the test, at most 15 minutes for roadside checks, taking back the information.

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