Learners on Motorways in 2018

Cobra

Cobra

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I'm guessing that's for April 1st then..
Instructor , now follow the slip road down to the M25, and we'll sit here for an hour admiring all the other cars ..



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Is it just me that never got the big deal about Motorways to begin with? I Personally find your average commuter a-road with the wide mix of speeds, more vulnerable road users and interesting mix of driving standards a more complicated driving environment.
 
Just another hazard to avoid .
 
Just to be different my vote goes for good idea if its done at the right time in the pupils training, day one may not be a good idea.
 
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According to 'im indoors, a minimum number of lessons, with an ADI (no uncle Jimmy etc.) In a dual control car will be required before motorway access.
I don't see it as a big deal.
Here, currently, learners can't use the crappy 2 lane M2, but can go crazy on the 4 lane A2. :confused:
 
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A positive step IMO, it's ridiculous that nothing prepares you for it prior to the test at present. Having some experience with a qualified instructor, or at least the option of it, is a good idea.
 
viv1969 said:
According to 'im indoors, a minimum number of lessons, with an ADI (no uncle Jimmy etc.) In a dual control car will be required before motorway access.
I don't see it as a big deal.
Here, currently, learners can't use the crappy 2 lane M2, but can go crazy on the 4 lane A2. :confused:
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was going to say I would assume its later in the learning process at the instructors discretion.

not a bad idea, hopefully it'll reduce the amount of morons on the motorway (who tend to be the older demographic to be fair).
 
Going to be a b****r if they make it compulsory - learners in Cornwall will need to get up to Exeter before there's any motorway!

Can't make the standard of driving on motorways any worse.
 
neil_g said:
it'll reduce the amount of morons on the motorway (who tend to be the older demographic to be fair).
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Define older, I'd say its the younger ones that tend to be impulsive ( read as ignore lane discipline, believe that switching on indicators also activates the invulnerability shield, going from slip road to lane 3 and f*** everyone else .. )
 
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Nod said:
Going to be a b****r if they make it compulsory - learners in Cornwall will need to get up to Exeter before there's any motorway!

Can't make the standard of driving on motorways any worse.
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They haven't yet ruled it out, but that's the reason it's unlikely to become part of the test.
My money's on the other option of making passes incremental; is pass your test, but have a given time to undergo further professional tuition in, say, motorway, inclement weather, driving in the dark, etc.

I'm staggered by the amount of people who pass their test having never driven in the dark!
 
viv1969 said:
My money's on the other option of making passes incremental; is pass your test, but have a given time to undergo further professional tuition in, say, motorway, inclement weather, driving in the dark, etc.
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That would make a lot of sense tbh :)

Although didn't they try that with pass plus ( I think it was called? ) what happened to that? does it still exist?
 
I think it's a brilliant idea, at least they will get an idea of what to do.
I remember years ago my ex BIL was following me driving up to Aylesbury.
He'd been driving longer then me but never been on a motorway, we lost him when we joined
Yep you've guessed it

Cobra said:
I'm guessing that's for April 1st then..
Instructor , now follow the slip road down to the M25, and we'll sit here for an hour admiring all the other cars ..
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That is exactly what he did, stopped and gave way, took him ages to catch up, thankfully my ex husband was in the car with him
otherwise he would probably still be sitting there now
 
Tori_T said:
Do you have any lengths of multi-lane dual carriageway the Govt could A1M-ify?
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There is a duel carriageway by-pass here, about 15 miles long, with 6 major junctions ( roundabouts) at the top of each slip road, and at the beging and end.
When I taught my daughter to drive, I made her drive up and down that road, exiting every junction, negotiate the roundabout at the top, and then rejoin on the next slip road on,
we did this a few times in both directions, I guess she hated me for that :D but she never had a problem joining or using a motorway..
 
neil_g said:
middle aged and upwards. typically the "I've been driving a long time and know best" lot yet have masses of bad habits.

Speeding, lane hogging, tailgating, cutting in. All seen in my typical M3 commute on a daily basis by those that should know better.
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As above, I've seen the reverse to be true.. ( I use the M1 / M25 occasionally)

neil_g said:
not a bad idea, hopefully it'll reduce the amount of morons on the motorway .
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But then it won't help those already with the ingrained arse hole attitude ...
 
Cobra said:
That would make a lot of sense tbh :)

Although didn't they try that with pass plus ( I think it was called? ) what happened to that? does it still exist?
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Yes, it still exists, and until April of this year was subsidised by many local authorities.
The biggest reason for drivers using it though, was reductions in car insurance premiums, which used to be quite generous.
Now though, the cost of PP tends to outweigh any premium reduction.
 
viv1969 said:
Now though, the cost of PP tends to outweigh any premium reduction.
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Hence the lack of up take no doubt? ;)

Thanks for the insight :thumbs:
 
Tori_T said:
Do you have any lengths of multi-lane dual carriageway the Govt could A1M-ify?
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Not much the far side of Bodmin! We're Exeter based so have the M5, although that tends to be slower than using the old A38. Took an hour and a half to do the 50 or so miles up the M5 from Exeter to the Street exit (23 from memory). No apparent reasons for the several stop/start parts of the journey.
 
Interviewing a just passed his test driver on the BBC news. Probably about 18yrs old and he was driving what looked like a brand new Audi (model not known)

IMO it would make sense to couple this new idea with limiting newly qualified drivers to cars of no more than 1000cc/90bhp for the first two years too. That way they can learn to enter and exit a MW without doing 100mph while on there.

They would also be able to respect the BMW ;)
 
Hazza said:
Good. Will hopefully educate more drivers on how to use them properly and reduce the number of middle lane hoggers or the idiots that move into the middle lane at the approach to every junction, even those with exit slips rather than filter lanes.
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Good idea that as most people who join the motorway tend to think that they have the right of way and traffic on the motorway must move over or brake to let them in irrespective of whether they can or it's safe to do so.
 
It makes sense to ensure learner drivers can drive fully. Excluding motorways was IMO always silly. The first few times I drive on the motorway with a parent was a scary experience. It wasn't until I spent a few hours on the motorway that I became confident.

Pass plus IMO should be absorbed into lessons so that everyone has the chance to drive at night etc.
 
Gaz J said:
Good idea that as most people who join the motorway tend to think that they have the right of way and traffic on the motorway must move over or brake to let them in irrespective of whether they can or it's safe to do so.
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What is a good idea is to move over to the middle lane before hand and leave the inner lane empty, so traffic can keep moving unhindered and prevents people on the slip road panicking as they run out of slip road. Just because you have right of way, it doesn't mean you can't drive intelligently and make sure others have more than enough room to join.
 
Harriers9 said:
IMO it would make sense to couple this new idea with limiting newly qualified drivers to cars of no more than 1000cc/90bhp for the first two years too. That way they can learn to enter and exit a MW without doing 100mph while on there.
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Still capable of 100mph.
 
omens said:
It makes sense to ensure learner drivers can drive fully. Excluding motorways was IMO always silly. The first few times I drive on the motorway with a parent was a scary experience. It wasn't until I spent a few hours on the motorway that I became confident.

Pass plus IMO should be absorbed into lessons so that everyone has the chance to drive at night etc.
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Pass plus is rubbish...always has been.
All the modules have to be signed off by a pass plus registered ADI, and should be carried out as "practical" training; but any and all can be signed off with theory training.
 
Gaz J said:
Good idea that as most people who join the motorway tend to think that they have the right of way and traffic on the motorway must move over or brake to let them in irrespective of whether they can or it's safe to do so.
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nilagin said:
What is a good idea is to move over to the middle lane before hand and leave the inner lane empty, so traffic can keep moving unhindered and prevents people on the slip road panicking as they run out of slip road. Just because you have right of way, it doesn't mean you can't drive intelligently and make sure others have more than enough room to join.
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Yes I appreciate that you may want to move over to allow merging traffic to do so, when it is safe to move over into the 2nd lane - however I was more getting at the people that do it without fail and for absolutely no reason at. You'e got to chuckle when some numpty jumps out of lane 1 when approaching an exit slip like it might drag them in or something!! Can they not read road markings or signs!!???
 
Hazza said:
the idiots that move into the middle lane at the approach to every junction.
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Actually the police instructor on my "day with the police" told me to always do this to avoid the "idiots" coming onto the motorway :-)
As for learners on the motorway, cant be a lot worse than a lot of the others already on there, maybe it will reduce the number of people who undertake the car in front as he's trying to get back to an inner lane rather than hog the middle lane having overtaken someone slower in the middle lane by moving to the outer lane whilst watching them undertake the middle lane.
 
So how is this going to work for us Norfolk people?
Nearest motorway a very expensive 50 miles away - bonus for the instructors!
 
zendog said:
So how is this going to work for us Norfolk people?
Nearest motorway a very expensive 50 miles away - bonus for the instructors!
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Bet they make simulators for those where it's not practical, wouldn't surprise me
 
nilagin said:
What is a good idea is to move over to the middle lane before hand and leave the inner lane empty,
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But not all slip roads have traffic on them when you pass. So 3 lanes into two may well cause congestion for no reason,
Broken white lines are give way signs, although slip roads are more acceleration, or deceleration ( on leaving) lanes.
If the road is heavy with 3 lanes of traffic you match your speed to merge, and yes sometimes this does mean braking to slot in behind the vehicle that is doing the same pace as you,
not try and drive into the side of it, so yo can get out un hindered.
 
zendog said:
So how is this going to work for us Norfolk people?
Nearest motorway a very expensive 50 miles away - bonus for the instructors!
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It'll be permitted for learners to drive on a motorway, not mandatory.
 
nilagin said:
What is a good idea is to move over to the middle lane before hand and leave the inner lane empty, so traffic can keep moving unhindered and prevents people on the slip road panicking as they run out of slip road. Just because you have right of way, it doesn't mean you can't drive intelligently and make sure others have more than enough room to join.
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That's what I said. You don't need to repeat it.

Doesn't mean they can't drive intelligently either.
 
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Hazza said:
Yes I appreciate that you may want to move over to allow merging traffic to do so, when it is safe to move over into the 2nd lane - however I was more getting at the people that do it without fail and for absolutely no reason at. You'e got to chuckle when some numpty jumps out of lane 1 when approaching an exit slip like it might drag them in or something!! Can they not read road markings or signs!!???
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Can't really see how you can criticise them. After all according to some on here you've got to think for the vehicle on the slip road who isn't thinking about anything least of all trying to match speed or looking to see if they can join safely.
 
Gaz J said:
you've got to think for the vehicle on the slip road who isn't thinking about anything least of all trying to match speed or looking to see if they can join safely.
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Well hopefully the new "law" will alter that, and people will start thinking for themselves, instead of expecting everyone else to drive for them, and rectify their mistakes :thumbs:
 
Gaz J said:
That's what I said. You don't need to repeat it.
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The way tour post reads, you were agreeing with him about people moving to the middle lane being idiots.
 
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Cobra said:
Well hopefully the new "law" will alter that, and people will start thinking for themselves, instead of expecting everyone else to drive for them, and rectify their mistakes (y)
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I'd rather prejudge and make allowances for the others though. Means fewer nasty surprises and I get to keep moving rather than get caught up in their mishaps.(y)
 
Gaz J said:
Can't really see how you can criticise them. After all according to some on here you've got to think for the vehicle on the slip road who isn't thinking about anything least of all trying to match speed or looking to see if they can join safely.
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Jeez, I didn't mean anyone who ever moved over to let someone in is an idiot - that is good & courteous driving and actually involves some thinking and planning ahead, and is something I do myself when I can... I was on about the people who do it regardless of whether there is something joining the motorway or not, or even if there is an on slip (read - moving over when passing an exit slip due to thinking it is an exiting filter lane).

Or are you saying the correct thing to do is to move to the middle lane even if there is not a b****r trying to join :D
 
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