A MOTORIST WHO attempted to get another person to sit their Driver Theory Test was caught after the impersonator was recognised by a staff member at the exam centre.

The person, who was sitting a test for the ‘BW’ category licence for cars, tractors and work vehicles, was caught by Road Safety Authority officials at an unnamed test centre last year.

The candidate was one of nine would-be motorists whose behaviour aroused suspicion during driver theory tests last year, according to figures released by the authority.

Two more so-called “impersonation attempts” took place at test centres last year, both of which involved problems with the candidate’s identification.

On one occasion, a candidate was asked for a second form of ID, which they told an RSA staff member they had in another part of the test centre.

However, when asked to retrieve the ID, the individual emptied their locker, left the centre and did not return to complete their test.

Another candidate was told by RSA staff that the ID they presented did not resemble them. The individual did not sit their test and the authority’s local district manager was informed.

Five other people aroused suspicion after they were caught with unauthorised electronic devices.

Two were allowed to continue their test after being told to put the device in a locker.

One candidate refused to remove the device when asked by a test centre employee, while another was not allowed to sit their test after being caught with a bluetooth device which they had claimed was a hearing aid.

Metal detector

On another occasion, a candidate was scanned in a metal detector which alerted staff to an electronic device.

The individual was then asked to lift up their outer clothing, which caused an electronic device to drop onto the floor of the test centre.

The candidate denied owning the device, but the RSA said that they still sought to have it returned to them before they left the test centre. The RSA’s district manager was subsequently informed, and the individual’s score was withheld from them.

The nine individuals were a small fraction of the overall number of people who took a theory test, with 165,063 motorists sitting a test during the first ten months of 2019.

According to the Road Safety Authority, test centres are monitored using video and audio recordings at all times.

Any attempt by a candidate to cheat in the test is taken seriously, and all instances of cheating are immediately reported to the authority.

“If an incident of cheating occurs, it will be reviewed on a case by case basis,” the authority says.

Following a review, drivers may be subject to a ban for a period of time, during which they will not be allowed to book or sit a theory test for up to six months.

All details about the drivers who were caught acting suspiciously in the test last year were released to TheJournal.ie following a Freedom of Information request.