to think that learner drivers shouldn't be on the road at this time?

[RagamuffinAndFidget]

Especially not in privately owned cars with no dual controls! I had to make a trip to the local shop today and ended up stuck behind a very tentative learner who was incredibly heavy on the brakes and seemed very nervous. I have every sympathy for learner drivers who are not able to continue with their lessons at the moment, but this just seems like an unnecessary risk at the moment! What if they lost control and caused an accident?

AIBU to think the learners should just stay at home for now?

The message around non-essential travel is to prevent contact and spread of the virus.
Two people, presumably of the same household, in a car are not going to spread any virus.

You can't go out with an instructor at the moment so I think it's fine to go out with your parent/member of family who can supervise.

Whether I would want to with all the idiots on the road at present, is another matter, as others have said.

My ds was learning, I hope he doesn't forget too much before he's allowed to have lessons again (and I hope it doesn't go on so long that his instructor gets into financial difficulties). He's learning on a manual and we only have automatics so we can't take him out anyway. At the moment I've not been out for nearly 2 weeks and am worried I'm forgetting how to drive :)

The message around non-essential travel is to prevent contact and spread of the virus.

It's also to prevent unnecessary journeys - the more cars on the road, the higher the chance of an accident, which means emergency services coming out and being in close contact with the public.

I was having lessons before lockdown, and had just started driving our family car (with DP in obviously) with L plates but haven't since. Don't get me wrong, I'd bloody love to be driving on these quiet roads for practice! However there's always the risk something will go wrong and services would have to be called unnecessarily therefore I'm not.

To those saying it was a non essential journey.... none of us know if it was essential. They could be going to get food or medicine or maybe not.

Aren’t learners more likely to have an accident meaning others may have to attend the scene etc? Also, it’s non essential travel, surely?

It's not ideal, is it?

I'm worried enough about having an accident at the moment when doing essential journeys and I've been driving for decades.

Definitely shouldn’t go out- they’re more likely to have an accident and then put more people at risk having to sort the situation out- and it’s not essential travel

Everyone should be staying home. How many fucking times must the government say it!

Learning to drive is not going to work, it’s not going out for food and it’s not going out for exercise

Plus no test centre is going to be open for weeks/months anyway

The thickness of people has really surprised me in all this

Dd turns 17 in a few weeks and totally understands why her lessons will be on hold, including that I won't take her out as we don't want to risk causing an accident. She's disappointed but gets it. It's not hard.

Your logic would also see horse riding banned in case it causes accident. Then what of children climbing trees or playing football? Jogging? Using a knife to prepare food?

I agree with the logic in theory. As much NHS capacity should be freed up as we can manage but so many things still retain enough social utility (and I would say learning to drive so long as it’s done sensibly) that they ought to continue.

No, it's not ok to be out there having lesson right now. I say that as someone who had their test cancelled a couple of days beforehand due to the lockdown. I'd love to be out there to keep on top of it, make sure I pass first time when I finally get my chance, but it's not ok to take the risk of a crash/breakdown at the moment.

It’s not ideal, but there’s only so much you can take away from people and still expect them to comply with lockdown for the foreseeable future. Many of the current learners will not only have had their driving test date taken away from them, but their A level exams too. I really can’t see the harm in allowing them to still practice driving so that the money they’ve spent on lessons to date isn’t completely wasted.

If the two people are from the same household, then why not, . I mean your more likely to get corona from standing in a shopping que, walking round the park. Waiting at the pharmacy. However it is not seesntial so on that level perhaps not, But not because of the risk level.

To those saying it was a non essential journey.... none of us know if it was essential. They could be going to get food or medicine or maybe not.

It's not essential for two adults to go out for food or medicine. If the other adult was fit and competent enough to supervise a learner, he or she was presumably fit and competent enough to go to a shop alone.

Plus more non-essential car journeys=more petrol used=more demand on petrol stations, tanker drivers etc.

I thought learner drivers were not allowed on the roads atm, I’m sure I read about a learning being pulled over by the police. I’ll see if I can find it.

@hm246 this?

How in earth are people meant to learn?
If the learner was 17/ 18, she could have been on her way to work, with a parent overseeing the journey.

My dd just passed. She worked to pay for her lessons, at 80 quid each.
She's had her education cancelled, she's working as a key worker in a supermarker- all the hours she can.
She's no different than most people her age.
So,the girl you saw may be trying to salvage a tiny bit of normalcy.

Seriously? I cannot believe how many people think this is ok. A hospital today has told people not to come to their emergency department because they are running out of oxygen. This isn’t a nice quiet time on the roads so can learn to drive or practice. It isn’t essential. Get the message - this is a pandemic and people are dying.

Only travel for essential purposes
Only leave home for exercise locally or to get essential supplies
Stay in your homes apart from that

Because what we really need in the NHS is car accidents...not like we have anything else to cope with right now

@Yallreadyforthis are you aware that no one, aside from key workers, are allowed to take practical driving tests currently? So your daughter is an exception as many people can’t even take their test now

How in earth are people meant to learn?

They can wait? For goodness sakes, nobody needs to learn how to drive at the moment!

The entitlement of some people never ceases to amaze me. Over 700 people died in England in the last 24h including a 5yo. How many more need to die before it clicks for some people?!

My friendd taught both his distress to drive in his car and they both passed first time. YABU.

daughters I mean.

Have stopped taking our teen out practising as just is not essential and I couldn't justify it if I was stopped. There will be an enormous backlog of tests to rebook when they start up, so plenty of time to practise then. Rather like how handy it would be to use this dead time to go on walking days out etc .. just non essential. I think a lot of the NHS staff speaking up in the media would ask us please not to do this.

I was a nervous pupil. My instructor never once had to use the dual controls with me.