In 2018, learner drivers were finally allowed out on to Britain’s motorways – so long as they were with an approved driving instructor and driving in a vehicle featuring dual controls.

However, a new survey by the AA Driving School suggests that learners are not taking advantage of this unique opportunity.

Missing learners

According to the survey, 57% of drivers said they were actually unaware that learner drivers could go on motorways in the first place. And, underlining how rare the practice appears to be, 83% of drivers said they had never even seen a learner on a motorway.

“This indicates that some learners may not be making full use of the law changes,” says Mark Born, Head of Instructor Training at the AA Driving School. “We were really pleased when the law changed because it gives more opportunities for novice drivers to build their experience before they take their driving test.”

Bad driving

The AA Driving School survey also shows that some motorists need all the motorway training they can get.

For instance, 49% of drivers surveyed said they’d seen motorists driving along hard shoulders while the same amount have witnessed motorists driving over chevrons to get back on to the motorway because they’d taken the wrong exit.

Incredibly, 26% of drivers have even seen motorists stopping for a toilet break on the hard shoulder.

Experience matters

For those learners who do put in the time to learn how to drive on the motorway, it can really pay off. For instance, Finbar King was the first learner to ever have a lesson on a motorway back in 2018.

Finbar headed out on to the M25 at midnight with his instructor to get invaluable experience that, according to Sky News, gave him “the confidence to drive on motorways after I passed my test,” he explains. “I now use motorways a lot either going to play or watch football and the tuition certainly helped me to drive safely.”

Moving forward

Such positive experiences are vital, says the AA Driving School’s Mark Born: “We hope that more learners will take up motorway driving lessons to give them a head-start in building confidence and experience around motorway etiquette.

“It may well quash the next generation of middle-lane-hoggers, tailgaters and those inclined to take a cheeky toilet break on a hard shoulder.”

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Main image by John Howard from Pixabay

Driver photo by Mark Stuckey on Unsplash