Example situation:
Driver 1: Drives 4.5 hrs
Driver 2: In passenger seat for 4.5 hrs, so recorded as POA.
Drivers 1 and 2 change cards over…
Driver 2: Drives 4.5 hrs
Driver 1: In passenger seat for 4.5 hrs, so recorded as POA.
Would Driver 1 now need to take a 45 minute break before he can drive again, or does the fact he has sat on his arse having a kip/picking his arse in the passenger seat for 4.5 hrs mean he can just crack on driving again.
Keep hearing mixed messages on this. Anyone know for certain?
When you’re multi-manning VOSA will count the first 45 minutes of POA whilst you’re sat in the passenger seat as break, this is because you can legally have a break whilst in the passenger seat but as you know there’s no way to record it on the tachograph whilst multi-manning.
So the answer to your question is that as soon as the driver cards are changed over driver 1 can start driving again.
For confirmation see page 17 here 
Thanks. Thought that might be the case. Have been out a few times with people who have insisted we have to stop and have breaks and always thought it to be daft.