Learning to drive and want to boost your confidence and
driving skills on a motorway? Then why not prove it by testing
your skills on a free online driving hub.
The driving hub is being launched to help people improve
learner drivers’ safety awareness in the run up to the law change
on June 4.
The law change will mean that for the first time learner
drivers that are ready to take their test will be allowed to have
motorway driving lessons with an approved driving instructor
using a dual controlled car displaying L plates. Any motorways
lessons will be voluntary and it will be up to the instructor to
decide when the learner is ready to drive on a
motorway.
Highways England, the body responsible for the country’s
motorways and main A roads, has supported the creation
of drivinghub.co.uk which
features a series of free instructional learning modules to help
drivers and instructors prepare for the law
change.
Highways England has worked with Department for Transport,
DVSA, DVLA, the Driving Instructors Association, Approved Driving
Instructors National Joint Council, Motor Schools Association of
Great Britain and Trak Global, in setting up drivinghub.co.uk. It
is also aimed at improving the driving skills of all road
users.
It will be followed by a free smart phone app being
launched later this summer.
The free driving hub tutorials are accessible by logging
onto drivinghub.co.uk and
include a range of courses covering everything from safety
checks, to driving on high speed roads, reading the road, being a
considerate driver and managing incidents and breakdowns, as well
as a dedicated section for learner drivers.
In the past learner drivers’ first experience of driving at
higher speeds had been limited to using dual carriageways and
only when they had passed their driving test could they get their
first taste of driving on a motorway.
For some newly passed and inexperienced drivers this could
prove to be a daunting and often frightening
experience.
Highways England Head of Road Safety, , said:
“We want all drivers on our motorways to be as safe as
possible. We’re looking forward to helping the motorway drivers
of tomorrow to develop new skills and get invaluable practical
knowledge and experience of using motorways thanks to this law
change.
“To help instructors and learners prepare we have worked
with our partners to set up these really valuable free resources
and I’d urge people to log on and take a look. It will help
everyone, not just learner drivers, be safer on our
roads.”
Driving Instructors Association chief executive, Carly
Brookfield, added:
“Learners and novice drivers, the next generation of
motorway user, will greatly benefit from the hub and the app, but
there's also lots of useful advice, guidance and resources on
there for parents, and even driving instructors,
too.”
The free app, called Pace Notes, being launched later, is
for all learner drivers and approved driving instructors and can
be used alongside their driving lessons and practise sessions. By
logging onto drivinghub.co.uk,
people can register to download the app as soon as it is
launched.
Highways England believes the law change will help develop
a smarter generation of motorway road users, allowing approved
driving instructors to teach test-ready learners about the
specific set of skills associated with using the motorways safely
in a practical situation.
Further information:
The law change will allow learner drivers to:
â— get broader driving experience before taking their
driving test,
â— get training on how to join and leave the motorway,
overtake and use lanes correctly,
â— practise driving at higher speeds and,
â— put their theoretical knowledge into
practice.
The Department for Transport consulted on these changes in
December 2016, they received wide support from learner drivers,
the driver training industry and road safety organisations and
the general public. These changes apply to England, Wales and
Scotland only. The law applies to drivers of cars only (licence
category B).
Learner drivers will need to be:
â— accompanied by an approved driving instructor (with ADI
certificate correctly positioned in the car
windscreen)
â— driving a car fitted with dual controls and displaying L
plates
