Well you have to be practical about this sort of thing.You can learn all the above on a decent dual carriageway - which will already be done by all learners I would imagine.In fact I did on my first lesson data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 (the beginnings anyway)
Also let's not forget most bad drivers are just that - it's not through lack of training - just look at all the terrible driving on roads which are most certainly covered in lessons/tests.
It just isn't the same as a motorway...I never forget a 21 year old girl at my grandmothers funeral asked whether she could follow me (I decided to drive as there were a lot of lovely old people at the church who had no transport to the Crematorium and I had our GLS still then; so one my place in the official cars and six in with me...). Any way when I explained the route she physically started to shake; it was only from Hemel Hempstead one junction to Watford North to the Herts Crematorium. But no, she has never been on a motorway in her life....
Ah well of we went through the backroads....I'm sorry but motorway driving is an essential part of anyones training...Ideally in a nice and busy area as well....Spending a little bit of effort with a trained professional for a few hours of your life can make a huge difference...
As long as there is a dual carriageway nearby. I was lucky when I was learning to drive in the late 1970's because we had a fairly busy 12 mile dual carriageway that bypassed 3 towns a few miles away. Once my driving instructor felt you were confident enough he would incorporate the 24 mile round trip into most lessons using the junctions for practicing leaving and joining the road.
By the time I passed my test I really didn't have any problems with motorway driving.
It isn't the ability to drive on motorways that needs lesson testing it's the ability to make informed decisions. That can be done on simulators; practice (and be tested) in various scenarios on equipment like the hazard-perception software already used.
I passed in the 1980s living nowhere near a motorway and had my own car only a few months before driving solo to colchester and birmingham without issue.
Me nervous? 510 bhp under my right foot every day? What rubbish. However, I consider an empty motorway in good weather a very different environment to 4 lanes full of traffic in heavy rain. Perhaps you don't, but I think any learner would notice a difference in the skills required even if you can't.
Just send the learners on the M6, nothing like sitting in a 3-10 hr traffic jam to add to their experiences on the UK road network.
Today's lesson - making small talk with other drivers, and asking caravan owners if your children can use their loo.
Todays lesson, the car in front doesn't use mirrors or indication it just pulls into the safe gap you have left, the car in front will drive so close to the other cars bumper the drivers brake light will flash every second. When looking ahead you notice a car braking quite a way in the distance, all the other cars behind following are doing the same, this is a sign you need to slow down, don't worry about those whizzing past you on the inside, they're looking at the car in front of themselves or they may winning the imaginary race between them and other drivers.
When looking in your rear view mirror you may notice a car behind you weaving in and out of traffic trying to win the race, this car may stop behind you and travel extremely close, upon overtaking you may notice their massive muscle structure (Not)! and sleeve tattoo, just ignore the terrified woman and child travelling with this fine example of alpha male-dom.
You may notice the variable message boards to your left or maybe not when driving in a group of high sided vehicles, yes the board does say slow down animals in the road but that was yesterday, the person controlling this particular board is currently eating a sausage roll whilst posting how hard working they are on social media.
Finally last but not least, try not to be confused by the miles and miles of cones, with signs telling you of improvements, yes these improvement to this same stretch of road have been ongoing since 1912. Yes there are very few men, yes those yellow things are cameras that track your speed, no don't presume they're not working because daves brothers mums uncle spoke to an-other over a pint "Not on them mate".
PS, don't become angry at the fact highways will allow you and tens of thousands of other drivers to join the massive q for hrs on end, despite learning of an incident at 10am this morning, yes it is 4pm and no they haven't figured out any other strategy other than turning the 4 lane smart (Snigger) road into a giant carpark.
PPS, when using the many service stations you must place your feet in a ten to two positon and walk like you own the path, don't hold any doors open and barge past as many women, children and patrons as you can, the race to the toilet is important.
Just some observations/tips for new learners from my experience of the mway network.
And they're on
Learner drivers now allowed on motorway
About time data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7