Driving testers raised concerns they were being put at risk after the Road Safety Authority (RSA) changed rules to allow cars without a valid NCT to be used during a driving test.
The RSA temporarily relaxed rules around the obligation to have an up-to-date NCT because of long delays for motorists in getting an appointment to have their cars checked.
However, a union representing driver testers said the proposed changes presented a “serious health and safety concern” for its members.
In an email last October, they union said it needed much more detail on what was being planned, saying “the priority must be the health and safety of testers”.
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In later correspondence with the RSA in November, a Fórsa representative said they continued to be worried about the “potential risk” to driver testers from non-NCT’d cars.
A letter said: “Fórsa are advising our driver tester members to adhere to the RSA protocol that all vehicles presented for a driving test must display a valid NCT disk.
“[RSA circulars set] out the position on the necessity to have a valid NCT disk. This is a serious health and safety concern for Fórsa and our Fórsa driver tester members.”
In response, the RSA said the union could rest assured that the “health and safety” of staff members was a “key factor” in any decision-making process.
An updated internal risk register said the changes were being made because of significant delays for motorists in getting an NCT test.
It said they had been told by An Garda that they would not penalise drivers who did not have a valid NCT disc while Insurance Ireland was also taking this “pragmatic and understanding approach”.
The RSA said it would adopt the same position but that it would only cover cars where the NCT was less than three months out of date.
The risk register said the chances of a car not being roadworthy at the time of a test was an “unknown” and largely depended on when the NCT had taken place.
The risk register said: “In the case of a vehicle with a valid NCT disc which may be reaching the expiry date, this means that the roadworthiness test was conducted almost one or two years ago, so an element of risk of vehicle roadworthiness still prevails and is unknown at the time of test.”
It said staff could continue to rely on visual inspections of the vehicle before testing to assess any sign of malfunction including suspension failure, fumes in the cabin, loss of power, or other obvious issues.
“If a defect is identified, the test will not proceed,” said the risk register. It said testers could also check the NCT app to be sure the three-month window had not passed.
However, the risk register concluded there remained a “medium” risk from the proposed changes in the event of injury during a road traffic accident.
In correspondence with Fórsa, the RSA also made assurances it was doing everything it could to cut NCT waiting times.
It said: “[We] continue on a weekly basis to have calls with [the NCT provider] to ensure there is no loss of momentum in getting our services back to the service levels agreed.”
A spokesman for the RSA said there is a responsibility on motorists to ensure their car is in roadworthy condition when driving.
He said: “At the start of a driving test, as part of the insurance declaration, all candidates are required to formally confirm that their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before the driving test can commence.
“Driver testers also conduct visual inspections before the driving test to check lights, indicators, brake lights etc. The policy only allows for an NCT certificate that has expired within three months of the driving test date and the candidate must show evidence of an imminent NCT test appointment.”