My opinion is if a learner takes lessons that include motorway instruction and a driving test that includes motorway driving they can then drive on a motorway, but if they don't take lessons on a motorway but pass a driving test they can drive on all roads except motorways. If the person then decides at a later date they do want to drive on motorways maybe some motorway instruction followed by a motorway driving test.

I've always been amazed you can pass a test then go on to the fastest widest roads we have here without any form of instruction whatsoever - crazy.

Many counties are a long way from a motorway (Norfolk, Dorset, etc.) so motorway driving not possible for all L-drivers.  However, a fast dual-carriageway with motorway style entries/exits is the next best thing.  Around here the A419 Cirencester to Swindon road is used by many driving instructors.

 

As a IAM observer I met many new drivers who hadn't a clue on how to drive on a motorway.  "The middle lane is for cars and the inside lane for trucks", "the speed limit is 80mph", are just two comments from young drivers who had recently passed their test.

where are these 'fast' dual-carriageways of which you speak? Ours are restricted to 70mph for cars and car-derived vans :(

where are these 'fast' dual-carriageways lay-bys  of which you speak?  where i can stop and make a brew for an hour or so  :(

 

* Edited *  " Happy new year Mate, keep safe "

 

AG

Edited 30 December, 20169 yr by Auric Goldfinger

So how does a German get a licence then?.

Or

How many visitors to German get killed?.

But the point is I'm towing, not driving on roads away from here - if it was a requirement for me to learn how to drive on a private motorway and be tested on it I'd have to take that test or avoid that road/roads. Life isn't fair - my original point was that if you have it as an addon people who don't need it can disregard it or get it at a later point.

What you're saying is someone should just be allowed to do something because it's inconvenient for them to get tested? I fancy "driving" the bullet train when I'm on holiday next year but it's pretty inconvenient for me to do any training / testing as I'm up in Edinburgh so I should just be allowed to jump in surely?

Whether there is an actual need to test people to drive on the motorway is another matter and something the powers that be would need to decide.

It would put people at a disadvantage. I interviewed someone recently born and raised in Cornwall (to degree level) who, if unable to drive on motorways would be unemployable for me. Unless the "test" was quick and cheap and accessible wherever you are, there is potentially a big obstruction to people getting on in life.

The comparison to driving a bullet train is irrelevant. More like not being able to drive in Europe as it is different.

Edited 30 December, 20169 yr by trundlenut

I don't know about other people on here but i regularly use the motorways and something needs to be done as the amount of people that don't understand lane discipline is shocking,

 

Just because you pass your test somewhere rural doesn't mean your never going to use a motorway or dual carriageway,

 

oh btw gullyg, trailer test is well worth doing altho i would maybe advise doing your C+E as alot of testing places use the 5 ton iveco van with a trailer on so its like driving a big transit with a trailer then you will have your 7.5t and trailer rather than just getting your trailer licence

I don't know about other people on here but i regularly use the motorways and something needs to be done as the amount of people that don't understand lane discipline is shocking,

 

 

Totally Agree, the number of driver who make a 3 lane motorway into a 2 lane moterway is unbelievable.  Why do motorists constantly drive in the middle lae when the inside is empty. They must drive wearing Blinkers and the number of drivers wearing headphones ( which is  Illegal ) is unbelieveable. Dead to the world that is around them 

 

 

 

 

RANT OVER ...............Happy New Year to all,

Totally Agree, the number of driver who make a 3 lane motorway into a 2 lane moterway is unbelievable. Why do motorists constantly drive in the middle lae when the inside is empty. They must drive wearing Blinkers and the number of drivers wearing headphones ( which is Illegal ) is unbelieveable. Dead to the world that is around them

RANT OVER ...............Happy New Year to all,

And often those glued in lane 2 are 40+ and been driving for years. An extra bit of testing 20 odd years ago will have made sod all difference based on typical non motorway driving.

I'm pretty sure a lot of driving instructors prefer to have their learners stick to the middle lane to avoid late braking turners who gives little warning and then it becomes their habit unfortunately.

Plus the 'left lane is for trucks' attitude

And often those glued in lane 2 are 40+ and been driving for years. An extra bit of testing 20 odd years ago will have made sod all difference based on typical non motorway driving.

 

True, very true. If I colud work for the police, catching folks on the phone and catching the middle lane hoggers, fine them all £50 I'd be a millionaire in less than a year

 

Bring it on...........

When my son was learning to drive four years ago I was very conscious of the lack of motorway training . Once relatively prepared by the driving instructor he did a lot of long distance driving with me(especially during University visits!) including major "motorwayesque" roads such as the A64, A1 (not M) and challenging back roads (eg Lake district).

 

 

In addition after passing his test and once over 18 he also did quite a lot of driving on French motorways. 

 

 

 

 

Some interesting views on here and although slightly off topic, how many forum members have had any kind of on road driving instruction since passing their driving test?

Noon

Some interesting views on here and although slightly off topic, how many forum members have had any kind of on road driving instruction since passing their driving test?

None unless survival over 53 years counts.

Some interesting views on here and although slightly off topic, how many forum members have had any kind of on road driving instruction since passing their driving test?

I have through work. Driving is probably the highest risk activity we do, based on duration, frequency and lack of control measures we can easily take.

Noon

None unless survival over 53 years counts.

I like it :)

I like it :)

Darwinian selection?

Some interesting views on here and although slightly off topic, how many forum members have had any kind of on road driving instruction since passing their driving test?

I'm another who's asessd through work; annual hazard perception tests etc (online) and our vans are also tracked and we're measured on our driving performance and efficiency.

Darwinian selection?

Seeing I don't waste my time looking backwards, there's nothing to say I haven't left a trail of destruction though)(

Some interesting views on here and although slightly off topic, how many forum members have had any kind of on road driving instruction since passing their driving test?

I, and a number of friends, have undergone additional training and then passed the IAM advanced driving test - some of us at First (higher) level. I was also an IAM Observer for a few years which involved giving demonstration drives - that really makes you think about how you drive.

 

How many members of this forum have read the Highway Code (latest 2015 edition ) recently?  The Highway Code is regularly updated and differs considerably from when I started driving.  If 'new' drivers (and many experienced drivers) read the sections dealing with motorway driving that would raise the standard of driving on motorways.

So how does a German get a licence then?.

Learning to drive in Germany is a rather costly process. For the normal license you have to do a mandatory 14 theoretical lessons, 12 practical lessons (4 motorway, 3 night time, 5 country roads), and then however number of actual lessons are required for the actual driving process. Then come extra costs for the test itself and getting the license. In total the costs for learning and getting a license are EUR1,400 to EUR2,000.

From https://www.toytowngermany.com/wiki/Driving_schools

or a quick look at Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_licence_in_Germany?wprov=sfla1

Problem down here and plenty of other more remote areas is the distance to the nearest motorway.

TBH the way so many people misuse the multiple lane motorways the nearest stretch of dual carrigeway would be good enough to teach them.

Having passed my test, I quickly learnt about autobahn driving which back in the early 80's was nearly all 2 lanes and Mercedes behind you pushing at 180kph whilst going past double articulated lorries doing 100kmh if you were lucky. Judging the gaps to get in and out again without dying was quite an art :)

Edited 31 December, 20169 yr by Defenderben

You don't need a motorway to teach lane discipline. TBH other than size and volume what's special about motorways? Up here most of the motorways only have 2 lanes anyway.

 

Access to a motorway doesn't seem to help educate drivers anyway.

 

As for middle lane hogs I think some of it is due to people's experience of getting trapped behind HGVs in the left lane. If people were able to move around the lanes more easily i.e. people left proper gaps and let others out, then maybe the middle lane would clear a bit. But probably not, most people are in their own little world when driving and don't consider the bigger picture, that if they gave a little bit the traffic would flow better over all.

 

10yr it won't be an issue, there will be autopilot lanes on motorways where the computers let cars drive with minimal gaps at high speed to increase the traffic density.

 

Plus I know many young people in cities don't bother to learn to drive now. It's just too expensive to run a car.

I don't think you can blame "being trapped behind LGVs" for CLOGies; I've encountered CLOGies on occasions when the individual CLOGie and I were the only 2 vehicles in sight in our direction (Including on the M54 so not just in Scotland). 

When I was some decades younger I used to drive cars with no more than adequate power and to overtake you had to have judgement which doesn't seem to apply these days.

People rush up behind us and instead of seamlessly moving into the outside lane as they approach, they brake and tailgate then after a few miles they're off like a rocket again.

I guess nobody includes overtaking in a training syllabus.

There's 2 things on the motorway which I can't really understand why people do it,

 

1, Pull out of the lane there in to overtake something about a mile away 

 

2, Continue in the lane there in then have to slam on the brakes as they have come across something in there lane.