Fórsa trade union has warned that driver testers in the Road Safety Authority are at risk due to the lack of an effective system to verify that vehicles presented for driving tests are fully insured.
Fórsa members in the RSA have commenced a ballot for industrial action today (Friday), following what the union described as RSA management’s failure to ensure that driver testers are fully, and unconditionally, indemnified while carrying out their work.
The union said the absence of a proper insurance verification system, combined with inadequate indemnity protections, has left staff exposed and under pressure to proceed with tests in circumstances that would be unacceptable in any other area of public service.
A memo issued by RSA management to driver testers on 9th December confirmed that staff are not automatically covered by the State Claims Agency if they conduct a test in a vehicle that is not properly insured. Instead, the memo stated that a driver tester would only be covered “in circumstances where he/she could prove negligence on the part of the RSA”, which driver testers regard as a serious and ongoing risk. Fórsa has said management has acknowledged the legitimacy of driver tester concerns, but has yet to act.
Fórsa official Ruairí Creaney said the union has raised this issue repeatedly through established industrial relations structures, but the dispute remains unresolved: “We’re calling for urgent and concrete measures to remove this risk from individual workers, including guaranteed indemnity arrangements and access to the National Insurance Database.
“Every car presented for a driving test must be properly insured. Without a reliable verification system, we risk sending testers out in cars that simply aren’t fit to be on the road. A car presented for a riving test must be fit to take to the road, and that includes being fully insured,” he said.
Philip Lambert, Fórsa branch chairperson and a driver tester in Dún Laoghaire, added: “Driver testers should not be expected to climb into a vehicle with a member of the public and hope for the best. If a crash happens and the vehicle turns out to be uninsured, we cannot be left in a position where our protection depends on proving negligence, potentially after a costly legal battle.
“That is not good enough. We want a straightforward guarantee of indemnity in all aspects of our work, and a proper insurance verification system so staff can do their jobs safely and with confidence,” he said.
The ballot of RSA driver testers concludes on Tuesday 6th January 2026.