Learner drivers allowed on motorways after law change

After the law change to learner drivers being able to drive on the motorways, what is your opinion on this? This law came into place today in the United Kingdom.

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Previously only those who had passed their test could do so, but lessons are now allowed in a dual-control car with an approved driving instructor.

The government says the move will help learners gain experience to drive safely.

The law change has been welcomed by the AA and RAC Foundation, among other motoring groups.

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Top tips for learners

• Keep calm. The most important thing is to keep calm, and remember your instructor is there to help if you have a problem. Motorways are similar to dual carriageways - which learners have already driven on - so it's the same but a bit faster.
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  Plan ahead. Sometimes you need to ease off the accelerator to create the gap ahead. You need to build up speed quite quickly when you are joining the motorway.
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  Don't hesitate. If you hesitate while joining the motorway or changing lanes you can put yourself or other drivers in danger. Once you've begun to move, they are expecting you to go.
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  Watch speed limits. Lots of people don't realise the speed limit isn't always 70mph. There are many stretches where it is 50mph and this is enforced by average speed cameras so you need to be careful.

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As many as 8% of licence holders avoided motorways for at least six months after passing their test, an AA poll of more than 20,000 motorists suggests.

More than a quarter said they felt scared when they did drive on a motorway for the first time.

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Read more about this article so you understand more. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44350285

A really good move, as long as they stick to the first and second lanes.

I support this strongly because what is the best way to learn other than to experience?

This has been implemented in my country, Malaysia for a long time already. The learning track and the road are totally different situation. I'm not sure if I do understand the situation there but here, you can do so with your instructor by your side. Even so, my instructor would find the most controlled motorway for us to practice.

Meaning, precautions are necessary every second the learners are on the motorway. They should be accompanied and supervised. We have stickers on the back of the learner car (something saying like in training) and with all those precautions set, mostly the other drivers will understand. No matter how slow or how weird the car in front of them driving. They are the next one to take precautions themselves (by leaving a huge gap in between cars and staying alert). So then, everyone can drive safely.

Not supportive of this move. Just make pass plus mandatory. Motorways require decisive decision-making, something that learners do not have!

Sorry @Zak; but I don't agree on your judgment. Based on what parameter do you say that a person has a capacity of decisive decision making or not?

A learner can only improve with a more practical environment but of course under a supervised control. Remember, the best teacher is always experience.

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Originally Posted by TinyFroggy

Sorry @Zak; but I don't agree on your judgment. Based on what parameter do you say that a person has a capacity of decisive decision making or not?

A learner can only improve with a more practical environment but of course under a supervised control. Remember, the best teacher is always experience.

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That's fine everyone is entitled to their opinion. :P

Experience. There's only so much an instructor can do in a situation like that, hence why learners are still involved in crashes. A crash on a motorway can be fatal, I drive on the M1 daily and knowing how inexperienced learners are I wouldn't feel comfortable seeing them on a busy motorway. Making pass plus mandatory would solve the issue? Drivers would get motorway experience but would have proven they are competent enough to drive (and have a licence at that point)

I would imagine that a driving instructor would only take their learner on the motorway when they knew they were able and confident enough. I mean, when I learned to drive I was following my sat. nav. and missed a turn two days into having my own car. The next thing I heard was 'take the next left onto the M25'.


The first thing I thought was 'OH HELL NO!' and I did panic slightly, but then I was like okay... keep calm. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

BUT, some people once they panic, they can't stop. That's when things go wrong. If you've got no experience on a motorway, you're even more likely to panic purely because it's something you haven't experienced yet and you will very possibly have noone in the car with you to keep you calm or help you out.

Thank God they specified in a dual-control car with an approved instructor. I've seen people having their parents or something teach them in a normal car and just slap L plates on. No control and no way to fix it if they do something wrong. It's dangerous enough on your average road, let alone at the high speeds of motorways with the idiot drivers you get on there.

I only drive a mere 16 miles of motorway per day total for work, and the amount of people who haven't a clue as to what they're supposed to be doing speed or lane wise is frustrating. So to have it actually incorporated into driving lessons is a godsend, at least now the new generation of new drivers will have a clue as to what's actually going on. All for it.

As a professional driver (Lorry - Car Transporter) I have to say this is definitely a step in the right direction. I remember when I passed my test, I didn't feel like I was ready, mainly because it was such an adult thing to do and that just didn't sum me up whatsoever. To think that the first time I'll be able to drive and experience a motorway would be on my own without supervision was crazy, it's such a big part of driving and people are more likely to make mistakes when they're nervous or scared, and going onto the motorway for the first time can be quite daunting, regardless of supervision or not, but if I had to choose; I would choose my first time be with my driving instructor, however I never got the option to do this as I passed many years ago.

The recurring argument here is that we don't want learner drivers on the motorways as they're not ready, however I disagree completely. It's up to the judgement of the instructor to decide when the leaner is ready (so people are essentially disagreeing with the judgement and experience of an instructor) ...perhaps the learner is ready to pass and motorway is merely the only thing left to tackle, they could have their test and be passed that very same day, but you're saying they're not ready purely because an official DVLA employee hasn't given them a signature on a bit of paper. Yet if they had been given that signature on a bit of paper first and then proceed to drive on the motorway the same day, you would deem this acceptable? Despite having less experience and confidence than if they were to have had a few lessons whilst they were learning under a supervised environment.

Personally I've never really had a bad experience with learner drivers, I probably do around about 70,000 miles a year perhaps more, and quite honestly it's never learner drivers that cause me a problem.. Okay, they stall at lights sometimes but that's really about all, but we've all been there. Everything else is normally perfect, such as lane discipline, indication etc... and that's all down to the instructions of the instructor, I would much rather be on a motorway filled with learners than people who have passed.

Besides the only real difference between a duel-carriageway and a motorway is that there is more lanes, which you don't exactly need to use on a motorway, especially in a learning environment considering most people do 75mph+ on there... But there are a few things that will actually make it safer than a duel-carriageway and thats the fact that a motorway has a hard-shoulder unlike a duel-carriageway, so if a problem occurs, then the learner or instructor can pull over onto the hard shoulder, unlike on a duel-carriageway where they'll have to wait for a lay-by. Secondly, there are no slow vehicles to over-take as slow moving vehicles such as tractors are not permitted on the motorway, so the only thing learners will have to deal with is over-taking lorries and people deciding it's okay to do 45mph on the motorway lol - However I guess overtaking is optional. Then apart from the fact that signs are now blue instead of green, and there is always a slip-road to exit/enter a motorway, it's pretty much identical to a duel-carriageway.