Road Masters Driving School

Motorway Driving Tuition

1. Learner drivers now allowed on the motorway!

   5th June 2018 9:28 pmComments Off on Learner drivers now allowed on the motorway!

   As of yesterday (4^th June 2018) learner drivers of cars in England, Scotland and Wales can now drive on a motorway with an approved driving instructor!

   Here at Road Masters we’re based right next to the M5 so rest assured we’ll be taking advantage of the new rules to make sure that all of our learner drivers know how to use motorways safely. All of our students will be given motorway driving lessons prior to their test, although motorway driving itself doesn’t form part of the test.

   This won’t be tackled on lesson 1 though … it’ll be up to our fully qualified driving instructors to decide when our learner drivers are competent enough to drive on the motorway. Safety is always our priority and all lessons will be in our dual control vehicles.

   There are lots of different elements to driving on the motorway, learner drivers will now gain experience of:

   • joining and leaving the motorway
   • overtaking and using the lanes correctly
   • driving at higher speeds
   • motorway specific signs

   During the motorway lessons they’ll also be time to talk about the more practical parts of driving on a motorway, like what to do if you break down!

   Ultimately these changes will prepare drivers for a lifetime of safe driving and give them a broader experience before taking their test. Driving on the motorway forms a large part of daily life for many drivers and it can be a daunting thing if you’re inexperienced so these changes will help to improve confidence and understanding before drivers take their test.

    

   Is there anything other road users can do to help?

   If you see a learner driver on the motorway, as with any vehicle on the motorway, please keep a safe distance from them and increase the gap even further in wet, icy or foggy conditions.

   Also, (this goes for all learner drivers on any roads) please be patient, we were all learner drivers once! While drivers are learning they may not be as skilful in anticipating and responding to different road events.

    

   If you’ve already passed your driving test but don’t feel confident driving on a motorway we can help! As well as taking advantage of these new rules for learner drivers we can offer motorway specific driving lessons for drivers who have already passed their test.

   Please get in touch if you’d like to know more about our lessons and how we can get you motorway-ready!

2. Driving test changes

   16th March 2018 4:30 pmComments Off on Driving test changes

   If you weren’t aware, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) made some changes to driving test in England, Scotland and Wales from Monday 4 December 2017 which included following directions from a sat nav and testing different manoeuvres. The main reason for these improvements to make sure that training and the driving test reduce the number of young people being killed in collisions.

   The 4 driving test changes

   From The DVSA:

   1. Independent driving part of the test will increase to 20 minutes

   The independent driving part of the test currently lasts around 10 minutes. During this part of the test, you have to drive without turn-by-turn directions from the driving examiner.

   This part of the test will be made longer, so it’ll last around 20 minutes – roughly half of the test.

   2. Following directions from a sat nav

   During the independent driving part of the test, most candidates will be asked to follow directions from a sat nav.

   The examiner will provide the sat nav (a TomTom Start 52) and set it up. You won’t need to set the route – the examiner will do this for you. So, it doesn’t matter what make or model of sat nav you practise with.

   You can’t follow directions from your own sat nav during the test – you have to use the one supplied by the examiner.

   You’ll be able to ask the examiner for confirmation of where you’re going if you’re not sure. It won’t matter if you go the wrong way unless you make a fault while doing it.

   One in 5 driving tests won’t use a sat nav. You’ll need to follow traffic signs instead.

   3. Reversing manoeuvres will be changed

   The ‘reverse around a corner’ and ‘turn-in-the-road’ manoeuvres will no longer be tested, but you should still be taught them by your instructor.

   You’ll be asked to do one of 3 possible reversing manoeuvres:

   • parallel park at the side of the road
   • park in a bay – either driving in and reversing out, or reversing in and driving out (the examiner will tell you which you have to do)
   • pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for 2 car lengths and rejoin the traffic

   4. Answering a vehicle safety question while you’re driving

   The examiner will ask you 2 vehicle safety questions during your driving test – these are known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions.

   You’ll be asked the:

   • ‘tell me’ question (where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task) at the start of your test, before you start driving
   • ‘show me’ question (where you show how you’d carry out a safety task) while you’re driving – for example, showing how to wash the windscreen using the car controls and wipers

    

   Adding to this we now know that learner drivers will be able to take motorway driving lessons with an approved driving instructor from 4 June 2018.   This will make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely.  If you want to book your motorway driving lessons, please contact us.

3. Learner motorway driving for 2018

   14th August 2017 2:21 pmComments Off on Learner motorway driving for 2018

   The government have just (13th August 2017) announced that they will be allowing learner drivers in England, Wales and Scotland to have lessons on the motorway by next year.  The lessons would, however, still need to be in a dual-control car with an approved driving instructor.  It will apply only to cars, not to motorbikes.

   Motorway driving with an approved driving instructor

   Currently only those who have passed their test can drive on a motorway, but the law change in 2018 is set to make UK roads safer.  Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said “Allowing learners to drive on motorways in a supportive environment will help them develop a practical understanding of how to use motorways safely before driving independently.”

   Motorway Driving Exeter

   Until now, our learners have not been able to drive on the M5, close to Road Masters Driving School.  This change in the law is going to make it, not only easier for our instructors to give tuition on the faster, and more dangerous roads for first time drivers, but will also give our pupils the experience and confidence they need once they head out on to the motorway on their own.

   Government figures show that only about 3% of new drivers take the Pass Plus course, so it is a sensible step for the government to improve road safety on the motorways.

   Get in contact to book your lessons with Road Masters!

4. The Government are considering allowing learner drivers on motorways

   6th May 2016 3:39 pmComments Off on The Government are considering allowing learner drivers on motorways

   Exeter sits at the end of one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the country – the M5. During the summer it is the main holiday artery for thousands of holiday-makers heading down to Cornwall, and every day throughout the year hundreds of lorries thunder up and down it. To some, motorway driving is something they have to do every day, while others prefer to use it occasionally. The Department for Transport tells us that a modern road network [motorway] helps traffic move around the country more easily and is essential for economic growth.

   So why is it that we only allow newly qualified drivers onto these roads?

   We should be educating learner drivers how to cope with faster driving and heavier traffic and how to navigate the myriad of new signs and information boards. Smart motorways came into action in 2013, with CCTV controlling digital message boards, variable speed limits, and lane closures. All this can be intimidating for the most experienced of drivers. Therefore it is with a sense of relief that somebody at the Department for Transport is at least considering allowing learner drivers onto these busy roads under the expert eye of qualified driving instructors.

   The Guardian in December 2015 reported that:

   The possibility of learners on motorways [would] be explored under a £2m project examining driver education. It would look at whether the current regime gives the best training for learner and novice drivers.

   Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation welcomes the idea of supervised practice for learners; “One in five young drivers has an accident within six months of passing their test so putting the learning process under the spotlight has to be a good thing.”

   At Road Masters we welcome these considerations as driver confidence and safety is at the forefront of our ethos. In the meantime we will continue to offer our Motorway Driving Tuition for newly qualified drivers.