ATTENTION A
from all aspects. The product mentioned above was tested to the point of being folded over virtually in half with weight on top, and it neither cracked nor shattered but came back to its original shape. This is the kind of testing you must insist has been carried out on any of these products.
Following dialogue with senior government and licensing authority officials, it is clear that any such product must satisfy acceptable levels of Health and Safety requirements. Badly fitted, inappropriately constructed units, or products made using unsafe materials, could have a catastrophic impact in the event of a vehicle being involved in a road traffic accident and would therefore be unlikely to be approved.
• We cannot consider licensing any vehicle without first approving the protection screen being installed.
Most local authorities would also require that any such devices were approved by them and they were subsequently notified, so that an inspection could take place prior to licensing consent being agreed. However, it is worth noting that in this matter, the consideration of installing such screens would invariably be into existing licensed vehicles; which means that it is more about providing consent or authorising the product and installation, as opposed to actually issuing any new licence.
The NPHTA‘s view is that it must be verified that such products are approved by each local authority. If not, then ask the installer or manufacturer to send in the required documentation including risk assessment and material/installation specifications in order to gain approval before going ahead with the installation. The vehicle will most likely need to be inspected for verification once the installation is complete in order for the vehicle records to be updated accordingly.
The message here is strong and clear: authorisation must be simple, easy and quick.
• Surely the installation of a protection screen would be deemed to be a modification of the vehicle, and therefore would invalidate the insurance.
This is dependent on the method of installation of the screen; however, for the most part – and certainly those that are properly installed – the screen is strictly temporary in nature and would only be considered to be an intentional modification to the vehicle in much the same way as the installation of a taximeter, CCTV, or a PDA. So far, certain screens have been approved by Equity Red Star, Antillo, Zego and Markerstudy – one of the UK’s largest underwriters.
Obviously any vehicle proprietor wishing to have one of these screens installed would have to gain approval from his/her insurance company prior to installation. We would urge underwriters to
seriously consider the implications of refusing such approval: What possible reason could they put forward for preventing such a vital element of protection, that would invalidate the insurance?
• It has been suggested that LAs will have to relicense any vehicle in which the protection screen has been installed, to reflect the reduction in the number of passengers carried.
Frankly we have gleaned opinion from many licensing officers – who quite honestly are in favour of the screens – and they concur that there is no reason to have to go to the trouble and expense of relicensing such a vehicle. The number of seats the vehicle is licensed to transport is the maximum; the driver may carry less than that number at any time, and most of the time does just that.
Even after the lockdown is released – even slightly – we believe that most drivers would not encourage front-seat passengers; nor would those passengers wish to ride in the front. If a fourth passenger was carried in the vehicle, that passenger must wear a mask and gloves. In the grand scheme of things, any driver or vehicle owner wishing to install such a device, at their own expense, is highly unlikely to allow a passenger in the front anyway, so issuing a temporary reduced-capacity licence would be a waste of officer time, effort and money.
• What about minibuses that undertake school contracts? We know of very few, if any, such vehicles that currently screen off the drivers; a lot of parents will not wish their children to be carried in future without some kind of protection.
Again, this is another serious consideration over the period during and after the lockdown release and the re-opening of schools nationwide. The fact is that there are many vehicles that are designated exclusively for home-to-school contracts which do not have a partition or separation between the driver and passengers. It is hoped that these vehicle owners will consider the installation of a partition screen to regain the confidence of the parents whose children they carry. In fact we are aware of at least one County Council that will not support their local school contract suppliers unless they have all the protective elements in place: partition screens, PPE face masks, and a full cleaning regime for vehicles and drivers each time a passenger leaves the vehicle.
• We are waiting for guidance from central Government on this issue.
We will reproduce a comment from one licensing officer here, from a recent licensing forum: “If we have to wait for Government guidance on this for Covid-19… we might get it by Covid-49!” The NPHTA has had considerable dialogue on the installation of such “sneeze guard screens” with senior government and licensing authority officials and at the time of release of this information on April 29th 2020, they believe that through dialogue and research the position is as follows:
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....WE ARE THE FOURTH EMERGENCY SERVICE.... MAY 2020
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