It’s an argument that’s been raging for some time now. Should learner drivers (under the supervision of a fully qualified driving instructor and in a dual-controlled car) be permitted to take lessons on motorways?
Some say that they should, seeing as the majority of new drivers (those who have recently passed their test) admit to being frightened of venturing onto a motorway for the first time. However, others believe that even with the supervision of a fully qualified and experienced instructor, Britain’s motorways are no place for learner drivers who have yet to demonstrate that they have mastered the basics of driving by passing their test.
So what are the pros and cons of motorway driving lessons? Currently, anyone on a provisional licence is allowed to drive on all roads except motorways. Only once you have passed your test are you permitted to join the rat race that is the UK’s motorway system. While the majority of drivers (even inexperienced ones) can cope fairly well with the demands and rigours of normal driving, motorway driving is a very different experience, and one that for novice drivers can be incredibly intimidating.
One of the biggest problems is that as a novice, a new driver has not yet acquired the experience in hazard perception that you need to be able to anticipate and react to motorway driving, primarily because they don’t have the reaction speeds or instincts that experienced drivers have. At 30mph most of us can react in plenty of time to a hazard we see 500 meters up the road. But on a motorway, where the speed of travel will mean that those 500 meters vanish inside 2-3 seconds, reactions have to be much, much faster. The worry that those who oppose allowing a relaxation of the law have is that there will be far more serious incidents on motorways caused by the inevitable mistakes that learner drivers make, which will be compounded due to the higher speeds and more stressful environment.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t…
But how are learner drivers to get that all-important experience if they’re not allowed onto the motorways in the first place? Currently many driving instructors do offer additional training once a new driver has passed their test to give them the extra tuition they need to cope with more complex hazards such as motorway and night driving. But the crucial thing is that by then these novice drivers have mastered the ‘basics’ and have proved that they understand and can execute these basics by passing their test.
There is also the question of who would be held responsible in the event of a learner driver causing an incident on a motorway – the novice or the instructor? That could have a considerable effect on other aspects of the instructor’s business, such as driving instructor insurance premium costs, and their public liability cover.