Learner Drivers to Have Motorway Lessons
From Monday 4 June 2018, learner drivers will be able to take driving lessons on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales. This will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely. At the moment, you can only have motorway lessons after you’ve passed your driving test.
Learner drivers will need to be accompanied by an approved driving instructor in a car fitted with dual controls. Any motorways lessons will be voluntary, and it will be up to the driving instructor to decide when the learner driver is competent enough for them.
Until the law changes, it’s still illegal for a learner driver to drive on a motorway, and the changes only apply to learner drivers of cars; learner motorcyclists won’t be allowed on motorways.
Motorway driving is not being introduced to the driving test as part of this change.
The change is being announced well in advance so that driving instructors and learner drivers are prepared, and other road users know what to expect. The Highway Code rules on motorways will be updated; but in the meantime the advice for driving near learner drivers is to keep a safe distance from a learner driver in front of you, and increase the gap on wet or icy roads, or in fog. Always be patient with learner drivers, they may not be so skilful at anticipating and responding to events.
The changes are being made to allow learner drivers to:
- get broader driving experience before taking their driving test
- get training on how to join and leave the motorway, overtake and use lanes correctly
- practise driving at higher speeds
- understand motorway specific traffic signs
- understand what to do if a vehicle breaks down on a motorway
- improve their confidence to drive on the motorway unsupervised after passing their driving test