AIBU to think learners should try to reach the speed limit?

[MsImpatient]

Have namechanged as this will make my location obvious (plus I suspect IABU )

My city is made up of estates with main roads between them. The speed limit in the estates is generally 30mph. The speed limit on the main roads is generally 60 or 70mph (some are dual carriageways, some not). AIBU in thinking that learner drivers shouldn't drive on the main roads unless they are confident in driving at least close to the speed limit? I got stuck behind a learner today who was barely hitting 30mph on the main road - why, when there are plenty of 30mph roads to practise on?

I do have sympathy with new drivers - I've been driving for less than a year myself - but surely they should reach a level of confidence/competence before going on busier, faster roads? AIBU?

Yes, a learner driver or a slow driver is frustrating but a competent and experienced driver will make allowances and drive accordingly.

Treat a slow driver as a hazard like a slow moving tractor. It will be your fault if you drive into them no matter how much they are in the "wrong" for slow driving.

re it being dangerous. I would suggest that the dangerous driver is the one who is driving along and not paying enough attention to the road ahead of them to be able to spot a slow moving vehicle ahead!

When you drive, you see a vehicle ahead of you. You can tell from how quickly you are closing the gap that it is moving slowly. You begin to brake.

If you don't notice and are on top of them before you realise, then you weren't paying attention!

Hecate, it's not an either/or situation! A slow driver on a road with a fast limit, is dangerous. If you don't recognize that, you fail your test (rightly). A driver who can't react to the road (including the slow driver ahead), is far more dangerous, and also fails.

The greater danger of the one doesn't negate the danger caused by the other, and the danger caused by a learner doing 30 on a 70-limit road is avoidable, so should be avoided. It is simple.

My son is learning to drive at the moment - and he is having his lessons on a mixture of dual carriage ways, A roads and estates - the sort of mix of roads described in the OP.

He has to drive on the faster roads to get from our house to the areas his driving instructor uses for the lessons - it would be an utter waste of ds1's time and our money if half the lesson was spent with the driving instructor driving him between the various locations that the OP would consider reasonable for him to learn to drive on!!

That would be the only way to avoid learners on the faster roads - and if they had to stick to the 30mph roads, they'd never learn to drive safely on the faster roads.

I would agre that it is dangerous to drive too slowly on a fast road, driving at 20mph on a 60/70 road for example would be madness.

But driving at 30/40 on such a road depending on the conditions can be entirely appropriate.

Last week I was driving along a country road late at night, it is a road I know very well, I drive along it every week. I know that it is full of blind bends, narrow road where two cars can't pass etc etc. You have to virtually come to a standstill if you meet a car coming from the opposite direction to let them pass (or they let you pass) It is a 60mps limit but I was doing 30. Hurtlind round that road at speed in pitch darkness is frankly suicidal.

I was followed all the way home by an idiot trying to overtake me on blind bends flashing his lights at me. Eventually they beeped their horn contantly at me for about 2 miles until I turned off the road. I couldn;t pull over to let him pass there was nowhere to p;ull in.

Intimidating other drivers learner or otherwiseis never a good thing.