UK driving lessons: You can learn to drive on the motorway, can't you?
by admin on Thursday, March 17th, 2011 | 10 Comments
I’m was pretty sure you could so you know how to drive properly on motorways, but my friend says you’re not allowed on the motorways if you’re learning….How are you meant to learn to drive on them?
I meant the Pass Plus thing, learning to drive on the motorway with Pass Plus but she says you can’t learn to drive on the motorway at all.
You friend is basically correct. You have to have a full licence before you can legally drive on a motorway in the UK. You can drive on dual carriageways, which are often similar but not the same thing as an M-way.
In practice, this creates a problem because driving at constant speed is quite different to driving on normal roads where you stop or slow down regularly, and it requires different thought patterns. Just joining a motorway can be pretty scary for new drivers. Consequently there are a LOT of bad motorway drivers, who dont really know the rules or procedures for motorway driving properly.
Many driving schools offer specialist motorway driving lessons once you’ve passed your test. Its worth doing one of these if you intend to use motorways a lot.
Only when you pass your driving test you can then do a scheme called the pass plus. It sometimes lowers insurence and gains you experience. Its the same price as lessons but the government may offer it to you for half price. You do 6 hours of it. Towns, countryside, motorways. I believe its 2 hours each but can’t remember exactly.
You need to pass your driving test before you are allowed onto motorways, but once you have some driving schools offer motorway driving lessons. Maybe that’s what you are thinking of.
Many idiots who drive on motorways in the UK have never learnt to drive.
This is obvious by the way they use these roads. They drive along in the middle lane at 50 – 60mph and won’t move over. This is TERRIBLE driving.
The second and third lanes are for overtaking only.
I think the police should prosecute these cretins for driving without due care and attention and having no consideration for other road users.
When i was learning back in the early 90s, you weren’t allowed to drive on the motorway unless you passed. My instructor took me on duel carriagewys,which is similar, as you can go 70mph, but motorways, definitely not.
The state of driving these days, i think they should toughen up on the tests, The lack of respect on the road is getting worse. And i’m afraid to say, it is the young generation. Yes, a lot of them are good, but there is the minority that think they know it all.
I was always told, you really start learning to drive once you have passed your test. It is true, because all the situations you face on the roads, you don’t come across them when you are learning. You have to think for yourself.
learner drivers are not permited to drive on the highways M roads,, only allowed to drive on A roads with L-plates,
To specifically answer your question, if you hold a provisional licence you are not allowed to drive on a motorway. Once you have passed your test you are quite entitled to learn on a motorway – many driving instructors offer motorway lessons, you don’t have to enter the Pass Plus scheme to do it.
I recommend motorway lessons.
Learner drivers are not allowed onto British Motorways before they pass their tests , just imagine the carnage there would be. Although , in saying that , the UK Driving Test is getting more and more difficult to pass as the DSA are adding more to the test.
Hi Sorry but they are correct, you are not allowed on a motorway till you have passed the test.
One of my friends is a driving instructor and what he does he gives his successful students a free lesson when they have passed the test, he takes them on the local motorway so they have some idea what to expect.
The only ‘learners’ allowed on the UK motorways are those upgrading their FULL car licence for a Vocational Licence – LGV / PCV ( coach ) – they have to be accompanied by a qualified driver & display the correct ‘L’ ( ‘D’ in Wales ) plates. Pass Plus courses start once you have passed your driving test.