To think that motorway driving should be taught to learners before they pass their driving tests?

[NeonMuffin]

I've been driving for over ten years now and I've never driven on a motorway. I'm quite a confident driver otherwise, but the idea of driving on a motorway absolutely terrifies me. I'm not sure why as I'm aware that they are statistically the safest roads to use, I think maybe it's because there a three lanes instead of two and I know there are certain rules about undertaking etc that I don't really understand.

It's holding me back and I want to change it, I'm going to book a refresher course to boost my confidence. But it's made me think, why is motorway driving not taught as standard to learner drivers? Am I correct in saying that the UK is the only country in Europe where motorway driving is not part of the driving test? Why is this? Surely it's something that all drivers should learn?

AIBU? Surely this would make our roads safer?

Yanbu. Although anyone can do a pass plus which includes motorway driving.

But I dread to think how much a lesson in motorway driving would cost someone from my area, the nearest motorway is at least 1 and a half hours drive away.
So would be at least 4 hour lesson with only one hour of that on the motorway!

I guess it's because you have to be a competent driver in the first place! I.E good enough to have passed your test. I'm not sure about the rest of Europe. I do agree it should be taught though, just not sure how. Good luck with your refresher course.

Motorways are the easiest type of driving because they're all pretty much straight. If you're confident at going at speed, try practicing when it's less busy as the thing I was worried about was getting onto the motorway but once I was used to it, it was fine. Motorway driving is also better for your fuel economy as you are not stopping / starting / changing speeds constantly.
They can't teach motorway driving as a part of a lesson as it's illegal for a learner to drive on the motorway. I don't think they'll change this rule as it seems common sense, you'll soon get learners on the motorway that really shouldn't be and it can cause more accidents.

Agree in theory, but many people (myself included) live nowhere near any motorways so not as easy as that. Book yourself some motorway lessons, my sister did that after she passed as had to drive to work using motorways and wasn't confident to do so.

The problem here is that learners - with a provisional licence - aren't allowed to drive on motorways.

Perhaps it should be compulsory to have a couple of motorway driving lessons within X months of passing your test. Although heaven knows how the DVLA would administrate that.

Once I had passed my test I had an extra lesson on how to drive on motorways (although I lived a lot closer to motorways than Lj. I think that you need to be a confident / good (although they don't always go together) before you drive on one. We have some of the busiest motorways in Europe, any orbital at rushhour is horrific, so I don't think that learners should be on them.

Yes but you can drive on a 70mph carriageway, as long as it's not a motorway. It's still three lanes, not much different really.

Do some extra sessions if you're nervous.

I have been learning on and off for 18 years. Failed numerous times. i am very capable driver when it comes to car handling, manoeuvres and city driving. But i fall to pieces at speed and shake if i have to drive over 50mph. I am even terrified as a passenger on a motorway. I hate fast driving full stop.

I do think if i ever passed my test i would have extra motorway lessons. I can understand why they don't do it before you are capable and have passed your test tho.

DH moans i can't drive, but i have told him if i could we'd be going at my speed and on my choice of route, and he'd hate that even more!

I have often wondered the same - I hope someone comes along who knows the answer!!

Two weeks after passing my test I made myself face the M6 and drive to Birmingham. I knew the longer I left it the more fearful I'd be.

My MIL has been driving for about 30 years and has never been on a Motorway.

If you can deal with a dual carriageway, then you can deal with a motorway. There's nothing extra-complicated about them. In fact they are easier in some ways as they will always have slip roads and no roundabouts etc.

Undertaking etc isn't a difficult concept. You drive in the left lane of any road where there's more than one, except to pull out to overtake slower traffic. If there are 3 lanes, you might need to pull all the way over to the right hand lane to overtake, particularly if one lorry is overtaking another at 57mph in the left and middle lanes.

The only thing that makes it complicated is that some people don't then pull back into the left or middle lane even when there is plenty of room, so if you want to get past them you either have to drive up behind them and hope they wake up a bit, or get impatient and pass them in what is meant to be a slower lane. That's 'undertaking' or more properly 'overtaking on the left' and you shouldn't do it.

Simples!

it would be difficult in parts of the UK that don't have a motorway, like Suffolk, learners would need at least a two hour lesson to get to one and and back again which is expensive if you are a self-funding school student

it's a bit scary to think of multiple learners all over the motorways too let them bumble around the A roads until they pass

I agree but there are no motorways in my county. I think lessons do include driving on dual carriageways though, and if you can do that, you can drive on a motorway. When I eventually had to do it, I ignored the third lane until I felt confident

Well I suppose you could get around the issue of learners holding everyone up by having the lesson at a quiet time of the day?

how do you get around the 'there isn't a motorway' issue?

YABU. There is so much that you have to learn nowadays for the driving test and so much you have to be perfect on. There aren't loads of accidents happening on motorways because of inexperienced drivers; if there were then there would probably be a provision for motorway lessons.

As it happens, a handful of people are uncomfortable driving on the motorway because they haven't covered it with an instructor - the solution is just as you say - get some extra lessons.

The motorway is not a place for inexperienced drivers; ie. those who are not good enough to have passed their test yet.
Can you imagine if a driver with just a few hours of experience with their Mum panicked as they were on a slip road?

A blanket ban on motorway driving before test is the simplest and most sensible way of keeping less confident and less experienced drivers off the motorway.
If you have passed your test, you should be fine (in experience and skill) to go on to the motorway. Until then, there isn't a way of knowing.

Perhaps a seperated test on motorway driving before being allowed to drive on the motorway would help.

Back of the driving licence will have a special code that proves this.

I didn't realise there were some areas that were so far from a motorway. How stupid and naive of me. Our closest motorway is about 5 minutes drive away, if that. Our small town is pretty much built on the motorway!

So, you'd require everyone who wants to drive to have a lesson on a motorway, with all the time, cost, and inconvenience of having to get to a motorway, with their instructor, at a time of day when it would be least likely for them to encounter a lot of traffic?

Simply because you personally have some issues with nerves about motorways?

Even though you have found a perfectly practical solution in having extra lessons yourself?

Sledgehammer to crack a nut. You say yourself that motorways are statistically safe, so there obviously isn't a major issue with drivers facing the motorway soon after their test and 'not managing'. Those who are nervous or uncertain can go for 'Pass Plus' or just arrange one or more extra lessons for themselves.

google says that in current traffic it will take me 1h and 12 minutes to get to the nearest motorway (M11) although in real life it's about 40 or 45 minutes

learners probably not allowed to exceed the speed limits so they would need more than 2 hours just to drive there and back, and some time to actually drive on it, so a 3 hour lesson, it's just not workable is it

You have motorway lessons in Holland. We also have parking lessons - and in the test you may not actually drive on the motorway but you will for sure have to merge on and off a ring road. You can also only have lessons from a professional in a proper learner car. ( Then once we have passed we all forget the rules...at least that's what it looks like some days)

That blanket ban makes no sense - so these feeble people who have licenses 30 years would be allowed on but not someone having lessons?

We don't have a motorway anywhere near us. We have 1 small stretch of dual carriage way - you just about hit 60 then have to start slowing down again.

People round here can go all their lives without driving on a motorway - a friend of mine at 40 has never driven or been driven on one

Personally, I don't think learner drivers on a motorway is a very good idea, you can already do the Pass+

We're over two hours away from a motorway also!!
We were took on the two miles worth of dual carriage way near us but that's as busy as it gets near us..

I think once you've been driving a while you can cope with motorways when you come upon them?

my parents are 3.5 hours (on clear roads) from their nearest motorway, and about an hour away from the nearest decent stretch of dual carriageway (that's not clogged up with local drivers doing 40, or is just a short bypass). Thats' a heck of a long driving lesson just to get to the motorway!

Also, not sure when you would find a quiet time on the M25 for learners to do the practice, maybe 4am might be the best time .

We're also 100 miles from the nearest motorway. DS, when, he passed his test, did Pass+ which involved driving that distance and using the motorway. When I learned in London, I did a lot of practice on the A3, which is not disimilar to a motorway.