Originally Posted by InMyArms:
“Once their qualified driving instructor has determined that they are up to a standard that they should be able to pass a test I don't see why it should be a problem that they be allowed to go on there. Better to have their first time on the motorway with a trained professional than on their own after they have passed their test.
I passed in February and it took me a while to pluck up the courage to go on the motorway for the first time. I would have preferred to do it with my instructor but wasn't going to give over even more money if I didn't have to. I would have been safer had my instructor been able to take me on it before my test. I passed my test first time, but I didn't magically become a better driver the moment I passed a 40 minute test.”
Learner drivers don’t have the necessary skill to drive on a motorway;…however, someone who has passed their practical driving test
has the necessary skills to tackle motorway driving. That’s always been the legal position and personally I’m fine with that.
Are there any alarming stats to back-up these claims of 1st time motorway drivers causing mayhem ?,…I think not.
Sure, first time m/way driving can be stressful but you quickly get into the flow. You’ve already demonstrated in your ‘test’ that you have the necessary skills to judge speeds, control the car , indicate, use mirrors et al.
I’m not decrying the ‘Pass Plus’ system by the way;.. and if people feel they need it then all well and good.
However, compulsory ‘Pass Plus’ motorway tuition just isn’t practical, for geographic reasons,…and there is still the challenge of doing it ‘alone’ for the first time even if you’ve had an accompanied lesson previously.
How many newly qualified drivers didn’t feel a twinge of nervousness when they drove ‘alone’ for the very first time even on normal roads?
An instructor teaches you how to pass your ‘test’;…you only really start learning how to drive (which is a lifelong ongoing process) when you’re out there making your own decisions.
No,.. I’m not inordinately worried about newly qualified drivers on m/ways;
…It’s the very small proportion of ‘experienced’ motorway nutters that need bringing into line, IMHO.
P.S. years ago my brother’s wife had an ‘uneventful’ Pass-Plus motorway lesson after she’d passed her test;…however, it terrified her so much she’s never driven on a m/way again,…not once!....she’s quite happy and very confident/competent everywhere else though.
My brother has tried for years to get her to tackle a m/way on her own but she just can’t;…I often wonder if she’d done it alone the very first time if things would have been different;…we’ll never know.