Learners on motorways

BeenThroughItAll

dannyrst wrote: »

I think it is integral for learners to drive on a motorway as part of their learning process.

I also think it is a good idea to bring in minimum driving hours before you can take your test. You and GTE Man may well have passed with minimal learning, and, without knowing you, I have no idea how well you drove on your own straight after your test.

I can, however, relate to someone who did an intensive course over 4 days of driving, who is the worst driver I have had the displeasure of being in a car with. You can only learn more by driving more. So making it mandatory to drive more before you are allowed loose can only be a good thing. Whether the number of hours is correct, that would be debatable, as there are things you only learn when you're on your own and you make the mistakes.

If it were up to me, no 17 year old would be allowed behind the wheel of a car on a public road.

I'll try not to take offence at the implication there (none really taken) but suffice to say by the time I was 22 I'd driven over 200K miles in various vehicles including cars, vans and large motorhomes without any incidents other than a speeding ticket I picked up eight weeks after my test.
Am I competent, observant and aware of the rules of the road? Yes.
Do I learn new skills quickly? Yes.
Do I retain information accurately? Yes.
Do these things help someone pass their driving test? Yes.


Am I the world's best driver? No.


As far as I can see, there is no way one can fairly mandate a certain number of hours' tuition; some people learn better and more quickly than others. Some are naturally talented or have good motor skills that help. Some are more observant than others.


It's simply not workable to insist on 120 hours of tuition, or huge numbers of people will never be able to afford to learn the skill for life that driving represents. The potential impact on the national workforce could be considerable; many sectors rely on people, often young people, being able to drive. I suspect we'd see an increase in the numbers of unlicensed drivers on the roads, particularly in certain deprived areas and in people of particular demographic groups.

GTE_Boy

dannyrst wrote: »

Define "very good driver". I don't recall saying that?

How many hours was the question.

BeenThroughItAll

GTE_Boy wrote: »

I thought it stopped at the Washington services.

Depends which way you're going :-)


A1(M) runs from south of Darlington to Washington. The A194(M) then splits off toward Sunderland. There's also, as you mention, the A167(M) Central Motorway in Newcastle, and there's a short section of A66(M) eastbound from the A1 towards Darlington.

agrinnall

dannyrst wrote: »

I think it is integral for learners to drive on a motorway as part of their learning process.

So how is someone who lives in Wick, Portree, Penzance, Sandown, etc, etc., supposed to do their motorway tuition?

I also wonder how the requirement for the tuition to be in a dual control car will be policed.

GTE_Boy

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Depends which way you're going :-)


A1(M) runs from south of Darlington to Washington. The A194(M) then splits off toward Sunderland. There's also, as you mention, the A167(M) Central Motorway in Newcastle, and there's a short section of A66(M) eastbound from the A1 towards Darlington.

And as a said none in Northumberland, I think it's the same round Ipswich way.

I agree with you it's a good idea but certain parts of the country make it impracticable.

EssexExile

What's so different about motorways? Other roads have slip roads, three or more lanes, etc. Driving on a motorway is no different to driving on many other dual carriageways except the signs are a different colour.

I don't see 120 hours of lessons being relevant either. You can fly a plane after 40 hours if you're quick on the uptake. If you're not quick on the uptake it takes longer. You can drive a car after 12 hours if you're quick on the uptake, if you're not it takes longer. Judging someone's ability to drive by the number of hours they've been doing it is daft.

BeenThroughItAll

GTE_Boy wrote: »

And as a said none in Northumberland, I think it's the same round Ipswich way.

I agree with you it's a good idea but certain parts of the country make it impracticable.

Well I never said anything about Northumberland, I was just pointing out that 'my neck of the woods' is bigger than Newcastle and Northumberland.


I agree that not everyone has access to a motorway - but the basics of a motorway and a dual-carriageway trunk road are very similar, and in practical terms legislation would have to take that into account. Sadly, as it stands at the moment many people must pass their driving test without ever driving on even a dual carriageway.


When I learned to drive (in Ipswich and surrounding area, as it happens), my instructor took me onto the A14 (which is very close to motorway standard for large stretches) and made me drive on it from Ipswich to Bury St. Edmunds and back again on my second lesson. He was very, very, clear that driving on larger, busier roads was a skill that I needed to pick up even though there wouldn't be any of those roads on the driving test itself.

cajef

Well the nearest motorway to where I live is over 100 miles away and starts at Exeter, it is a long way for a learner to go for tuition.

BeenThroughItAll

EssexExile wrote: »

What's so different about motorways? Other roads have slip roads, three or more lanes, etc. Driving on a motorway is no different to driving on many other dual carriageways except the signs are a different colour.

I don't see 120 hours of lessons being relevant either. You can fly a plane after 40 hours if you're quick on the uptake. If you're not quick on the uptake it takes longer. You can drive a car after 12 hours if you're quick on the uptake, if you're not it takes longer. Judging someone's ability to drive by the number of hours they've been doing it is daft.

Quite right. One of my colleagues has failed their test five times now, and has had several hundred hours of tuition (they've been learning since they started here over four years ago, and have a driving lesson almost every week). Even now they struggle with basics like clutch control and moving off safely, as evidenced by their exits from the office car park.

GTE_Boy

cajef wrote: »

Well the nearest motorway to where I live is over 100 miles away and starts at Exeter, it is a long way for a learner to go for tuition.

And you can only guess at how long a driving lesson would need to be in the middle of summer.