Learners on motorways, date confirmed.

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Good, I live next to a test centre, and am stuck behind queues of learners everyday on the way to work, as I go by dual carriageway. Hopefully they'll all go the other direction now.
 
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Whilst I can still see the positives of this. I'm against the idea. (I know I may get a bit of hate for saying it)

When I did my driving lessons I would rather have waited till I had passed my test to go on the motorway so I know for sure I am competent of the necessary skills that could be vital on the motorway. I feel as though this is going to have a large potential to cause more traffic, especially when building up to rush hour times. I think it would have been better for it to be after some sort of initial test, whether that be the driving test currently out there or some sort of "Skills Check".
 
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Whilst I can still see the positives of this. I'm against the idea. (I know I may get a bit of hate for saying it)

When I did my driving lessons I would rather have waited till I had passed my test to go on the motorway so I know for sure I am competent of the necessary skills that could be vital on the motorway. I feel as though this is going to have a large potential to cause more traffic, especially when building up to rush hour times. I think it would have been better for it to be after some sort of initial test, whether that be the driving test currently out there or some sort of "Skills Check".

In what way is someone who is ready for their test (but hasn't taken it) any less ready than someone who has passed their test but has no real world driving experience? At least this way the learner will be with a trained professional.
 
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In what way is someone who is ready for their test (but hasn't taken it) any less ready than someone who has passed their test but has no real world driving experience? At least this way the learner will be with a trained professional.

Agreed, the amount of people on motorways that don't look past their windscreen is shocking. Not mention people who don't know the rules of the road, I had someone joining a motorway and got next to me on the slip road (I was on the motorway) and they had the cheek to honk at me because I did not....nor could I move over. When will people realise that line at the top of a slip road IS a give way line, don't honk at me coz you are in the wrong!
Anyway rant over. Point is this can only be a good thing
 
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In what way is someone who is ready for their test (but hasn't taken it) any less ready than someone who has passed their test but has no real world driving experience? At least this way the learner will be with a trained professional.

I'm not trying to say that they shouldn't have any training, I'm all for some sort of tuition on motorway driving. I'm just trying to say that there should at least be some sort of competence test before learning on a motorway. In a way like the pass plus scheme which allows people to learn how to drive on the motorway but only after they have passed their original test.
 
Caporegime
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I'm not trying to say that they shouldn't have any training, I'm all for some sort of tuition on motorway driving. I'm just trying to say that there should at least be some sort of competence test before learning on a motorway. In a way like the pass plus scheme which allows people to learn how to drive on the motorway but only after they have passed their original test.
You seem to miss the point. Someone (myself included) could take 8 lessons, pass their test (which I did) and then proceed to drive down a motorway, immediately (again, which I did, Manchester to the NEC, within a week of passing my test). I had no competency, I had the grand total of around 16 hours of driving under my belt, but I legally could just set off at 70MPH not really knowing what to do, nor really confident or aware enough to do it.

The new situation means that an instructor WHO FEELS THE STUDENT IS READY to learn motorway skills can be taken into the motorway, supervised and under tuition. The “competency test” you so badly want is the decision of the instructor.
 
Soldato
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Well, even before you could hop onto a large dual carriageway for experience of driving at 70 and overtaking.

Increases the number of routes that can be used for this.
 
Caporegime
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My first experience of solo driving after passing my test was in a hired car from Glasgow airport going to a loch 2hrs away with some dual carriageways.

Then a month later I got my first car, to get it home I had to drive 30miles or motorway.

I was quite nervous I must admit, especially in the hire car.
 
Soldato
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The new situation means that an instructor WHO FEELS THE STUDENT IS READY to learn motorway skills can be taken into the motorway, supervised and under tuition. The “competency test” you so badly want is the decision of the instructor.
As delta3d said though, for safeguarding the public if a learner will now be on the motorway,
(with all the risks that introduces - does a driving instructor have adequate reaction to control a car at 70mph - he does not have a steering wheel does he ?)
then a formal, independant test, not just the driving instructors , say so, seems reasonable.
(what is the pass rate for actual tests ? is that an indicator of the accuracy of driving instructors judgment ?)

Did the government explore alternatives ?, I was going to suggest French scheme,that I am familiar with where folks have a mandatory A plate for 2/3 years after passing test, but
the N. Irish scheme looks even better

In Northern Ireland, for one year after the passing of a car or motorcycle driving test, the driver is defined as a "restricted driver" who must not exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) and must display an "R-plate" consisting of an amber sans-serif R on a white background.[10] L-plates in Northern Ireland commonly have an R-plate as a reverse side. "R-plate" drivers commonly do not display their plates, due to their limited speed, nor keep to the restricted speed limit.[11][12]



edit: I think motorways are more intimidating than dual carriageways - 3 lanes, typically higher (illegal) speeds, plus joining/exit process
 
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Associate
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As delta3d said though, for safeguarding the public if a learner will now be on the motorway,
(with all the risks that introduces - does a driving instructor have adequate reaction to control a car at 70mph - he does not have a steering wheel does he ?)
then a formal, independant test, not just the driving instructors , say so, seems reasonable.

This is the point I was trying to get across - I don't feel as though a simple "I think you're ready" is good enough. People get told by their driving instructors that they think they are ready to pass their test however people still 50% of the time fail if I remember correctly. There's a lot less margin for error on a motorway.
 
Soldato
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That's the bottom fallen out of the Pass Plus market then :D

I welcome the new rules, why shouldn't learners learn to drive on a motorway. Also learners supervised by a qualified instructor are probably safer on the motorway than most middle lane hoggers.

When I was leaning to drive it included lots of dual carriageway driving so it wasn't as if you never did 70mph as a leaner anyway.
 
Soldato
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Given the fact that learners are on dual carriageway A roads already, I don't see an issue with this and surprised it took so long. Some stretches of the A1 are a good example of being more involved than a lot of motorways.
 
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