Considering letting learner drivers on the motorway

Foster

I did a fair bit of DCW driving on the A1 during my lessons but I think it would benefit going on the motorway, even though you take the skills from going on NSL DCW.

brydo666

I'm all for it and believe that there are learner drivers today that would drive more confidently on the motorway than some "experienced" drivers.

finbaar

It does seem strange that we don't allow learners on our safest roads.   And teaching people about Lane discipline before they have passed their test is a good thing surely.

domtheone

Agreed

A few simple lessons on basic motorway etiquette cannot be a bad thing.

Really, motorway driving is dead simple and the standard should be way better than what it currently is.

Maybe if we, as a nation, had better motorway manners, our masters might let us go faster than 1960's speed limits

AMc

I think it's a great idea, unfortunately it's only 3 miles to my nearest NSL dual carriageway but it's 80miles to the closest motorway - which is only 2 lanes at that point

DOBLY

^ Therein lies the problem - not everyone has easy access to a full-on motorway experience.

List of motorways in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

a l e x

About time really. I did a few dual carriageways during my lessons and then "pass plus" after which covered motorway driving. I jumped straight in and went for a drive on the motorway the week after I passed... 380 miles to Newquay!

gibbsy

My wife has been banging on about this for years and thinks the decision is well overdue. She passed her test on a Friday in 1985 and the following day she drove home from Windsor to Cardiff on a very busy M4. At least she had me as an experienced driver besides her, for many on their own for the first time can be daunting. Her biggest fear was dropping the money as she paid the toll on the Severn Bridge.

bazza92

Don't agree with this i'm afraid. Too risky, and potential to cause a lot of accidents by a nervous learner.

There is already a provision in place, called pass plus, which is driving lessons given to newly qualified drivers which covers
Town drivingAll-weather drivingDriving out of townNight drivingDriving on dual carriagewaysDriving on motorwaysI think that there should be more incentives to increase the uptake of pass plus.

silent ninja

So an optional course should be encouraged, rather than make it mandatory to gain skills which most deem as necessary? An additional, optional course is not the way to bring up the standards of the general population no matter how attractive you make it.

It's easy to mitigate risk. Only let the learner on to a motorway when they are almost test ready. They would need to pass certain learning standards i.e. proficient on dual carriageways, able to navigate complex junctions/roundabouts etc