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?

What exactly about “this time” means they shouldn’t be on the road?
Makes no sense. Learner drivers are a pain to the rest of the driving population but we all have to do it, just keep your distance from them.
Are you the one complaining that BBQs are disrespectful whilst under lockdown?
I don’t understand what’s happening to people!!!

It's not necessary nor essential so they shouldn't be out. I hope these are the kind of people that the police will start to challenge. If they have an accident, it's more burden on the emergency services.

Yallreadyforthis
"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."

They're not, like everyone else has had to do with all aspects of their life, they put it on hold. A parent overseeing the journey is not permitted.

Grumpos
" What exactly about “this time” means they shouldn’t be on the road?"

Because all non essential driving is against the guidance. There's a possibility that emergency services may be necessary, because it's an unqualified driver with no duel control, therefore more prone to accidents. We haven't got the capacity to deal with this.

The Police have said no, so it shouldn't be happening.

Roads here are full with them. particularly funny if an ambulance gets stuck behind them forquite a while (happened this morning at thr narrow stretch of one way road, car stalled and they gad to switch drivers). any learner drivers out now should be banned from getting a license for at least 5 years as they clearly don’t get what rules are

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

Which idiots are those? The roads are all absolutely dead where I am and everyone is sticking to the speed limit for once.

Definitely not essential travel

I was learning to drive before all this started, I normally take public transport to get to work. It can be a misfire of bus, train or taxi journeys. At a time where public transport in my area is greatly reduced dh is taking me to work. That means the kids have to come along too. I was just about to book my practical test and am competent in my instructor's eyes. I have also been in a dual car with dh who believes I am ready for test. It is not essential for learner drivers to be out on the road at the moment. If you are already going out and the learner was close to sitting the test they may well be more competent and the journey would happen anyway. However, the point is to avoid all unnecessary travel, if you are able to drive to the shops your dd should stay at home. I am aware I will have to have a few refresher lessons and the wait to book my test will be longer because those whose tests have been cancelled will get first priority. It's crap, will cost me more but we are in a pandemic and these are strange times!

You must have a reasonable excuse for making the journey. There is no new law about who is or isn't allowed to be the driver on a reasonable journey!

Insurers consider learner drivers under supervision as lower risk than newly qualified drivers.

This is one of those 'rules don't apply to me' cases. Of course you shouldn't be doing a driving lesson even if it's private with a member of your household. It's not an essential journey and it's using up petrol which means you have to fill your car up more regularly and therefore come in to contact with people.

If during a pandemic, practising driving is oh SO essential as some of you insist, why have all practical tests been suspended during this pandemic? People who were already booked in had their tests cancelled! Surely if it was as essential as you insist, their tests would have gone ahead at least? I can only infer that the government does not agree that learning to drive now is “essential”

The only people who can reasonably learn to drive are key workers.

So,the girl you saw may be trying to salvage a tiny bit of normalcy.

My 'normalcy' is looking after grandchildren. Atm I can't.

Sorry, 'normalcy' (normality?) is whatever you can do AT HOME

Yea, it is not necessary journey. But taking advantage of empty roads seem smart. Also they are not in contact with other people so regarding cv the risk is small. Yea, there is a risk of an accident and ending up in hospital but there are risks with everything. I guess I'm in the camp that it's fine.

Grumpos by 'this time' I obviously mean the time where we are in the midst of a global pandemic and the government has advised against all except essential/necessary travel

And no I'm not complaining about anyone having a BBQ; whatever people get up to in their own homes is up to them. Being out on the road in a car is a completely different matter.

Said to my daughter only yesterday, as we saw an instructors car parked up on, presumably, their drive, “this would be a great time to learn with the roads relatively quiet”.
But no, just don’t. Stay home like almost everyone else. If you loose it and drive into a ditch, that’s a police car and paramedic out of action for a couple of hours, plus the rescue truck who has to pull you out.

My son is learning. We will only let him drive us to the shops a couple of times a week. He’s accepted it. What part of ‘essential journeys only’ is so hard to understand?

What I SAID is that she may have been driving herself to work, with a parent supervising.

If this all happened a few months ago, before my daughter passed, the OP would have seen exactly the same thing, but with my dd driving herself to work, while I supervised.

Which idiots are those? The roads are all absolutely dead where I am and everyone is sticking to the speed limit for once

The idiot who caused my ds to come home shaking after driving very fast at him down a country lane and only swerving out of the way at the last minute. Ds had been to pick up milk from the farm.

We’re not in the UK so our restrictions aren’t quite as severe but we’re still on essential journeys only.

I need assistance for shopping (can’t bend, reach up high or push a heavy trolley) so DD2 takes us in her car. She’s a learner and would need to come with me anyway to help with the shopping.

She wanted to go out today and I refused as I’ll need to go out tomorrow and don’t want to go out 2 days in a row. She’s not happy but she reluctantly gets it.

If my back wasn’t so stupid she wouldn’t be leaving the house at all (she’s been put off from work) so driving 2 days a week is as good as it gets at the moment.

When I learnt to drive my mum didn’t take me out for any non-essential journeys - she took me out when she needed to go to the supermarket, into town etc. I can’t see how it’s any different if people choose to have the learner driver do the drive for their essential food shop. But of course the go-to on here is that people are TAKING UNNECESSARY RISKS and BEING STUPID rather than just not following rules made up by random MNers.

Here in Aus learner drivers are specifically not allowed out for the purpose of getting their hours up (learners need to do 120 hours here before they can take their test), but it would be ok for a learner to drive if the journey was legitimate - essential supplies, work that can't be done from home etc.

Interestingly my partner saw this on Monday. So it’s essential for some people.

No - they should NOT be on the roads.
I just can't understand people!!! Is it an essential journey? NO!!!

How do you know that it isn’t an essential journey and it happens to be the learner who is doing the driving? The learner may be required to help with whatever is needed, or one may be waiting in the car whilst the other is in the supermarket/pharmacy. You just don’t know. You automatically assume it is STUPIDITY and TAKING THE PISS.

@IvinghoeBeacon if the ones here are on essential journeys, i wonder which essential journey requires you to drive the same narrow road up and down for 1 hour? the ambulance crew that was blocked in by them didn’t seem to think it made sense

So you have evidence of one that wasn’t essential and where they were being silly buggers? Does that mean you know for sure all the other ones weren’t? I just don’t know why the automatic mental leap is to EVERYONE IS SO STUPID AND MUST BE SHAMED when people have no evidence of that yet.