► How to become a registered driver

Driving a Tourneo or Vivaro people carrier might not appear difficult but in order to accomplish the task safely and minimise the risk to passengers and other road users, it is important for the driver to appreciate certain things about the performance of the vehicle and their performance as a driver. ULU is therefore required to ensure drivers have the necessary experience and competence to accept their duty of care for passengers. We do this by ensuring that anyone wishing to drive the MPVs becomes a ULU registered driver by undertaking a driver assessment.

The driver assessments are carried out by a senior instructor from BSM and last for an hour and a half.

Anyone wishing to take the driver assessment must fulfil the minimum requirements for insurance purposes.

The requirements are:

■ They must be 21 years of age

■ They must have a minimum of two years driving experience

■ They must hold a B category UK or EU licence

Anyone applying must also hold a clean driving licence.

Application forms are available from the Activities Development Officer and a copy of the driving licence including both photocard and paper counterpart must be attached to the form when it is returned.

It may take several weeks to arrange a test because this depends on the demand for assessments and the availability of the BSM instructor. It is not normally possible to arrange assessments at short notice.

Assessments are carried out in pairs and will be on any day between Monday and Thursday normally between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Applicants must therefore be prepared to attend an assessment at any of these times.

Once an application form has been completed it should be returned to the Activities Development Officer who will then arrange an assessment at the earliest possible date. Notification of the date and time of the assessment will be sent by e-mail and confirmed by letter which should be acknowledged by return.

Candidates are requested to arrive promptly on the day of the assessment which consists of 15 minutes vehicle familiarisation including completion of the vehicle logsheet, 30 minutes practice and driving hints followed by 45 minutes assessment. In addition to the assessment an additional 45 minutes should be allowed for familiarisation with the driver regulations and administration matters.

The outcome will be either a pass or fail. Drivers who pass the assessment will be issued with a ULU registered driver card.

Each ULU club/society is entitled to two free assessments per academic year and club/society officers should try to ensure that candidates have a reasonable chance of achieving the necessary level of competence. One in four people do not pass the assessment.