New Learner Driver Laws: Our View

The Government has announced plans to make it legal for learner drivers to be allowed on motorways. The plans, which Roads Minister Mike Penning has said should come into place by the summer, have sparked a mixed reaction in the transport sector and beyond so we thought we would give our thoughts on the issue. Firstly, and one thing that appears to be unanimously agreed upon is that additional motorway training for learner/new drivers is a good thing. Under current laws, the first time a new driver will experience the motorway is after they have passed their test – which can cause problems for both the new driver and regular motorway users alike. You could argue that the law has always been this way and “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” – but with UK roads getting ever busier (around 200,000 vehicles recorded per day on the M25 alone), additional learning on motorway driving should prove highly beneficial. (Direct Line also has some further interesting statistics related to this  here ). One of the biggest objections to the plans however is that inexperienced learner drivers on busy motorways at peak times could prove a danger, but Mike Penning insists there is no evidence to support this claim. To us the most sensible compromise would be to set restrictions on what times learner drivers can go on the motorway i.e. not during the rush hour period – but the Government has said there are no plans for conditions such as this to exist within the law change. Looking at discussion on Twitter it seems that the general feeling might be that more training is needed full stop. Such as @thebigman69 who suggested a situation such as Finland’s would be more beneficial – whereby a new driver must pass a test to acquire their permit licence and then complete a further 6 months of driver training by law before they receive their full licence. The debate on whether the new Government plans is the right type or right amount of training for learner drivers on the motorway will continue for some time. However, it is true to say the new Government plans will give learner drivers the chance to experience motorway driving alongside their tutor or driving instructor, before going it alone once they pass their test. It seems the Government has already decided on the law change and we sincerely hope it increases driver safety for everyone on the roads. We want to hear your opinion on this subject too. Please post in the comments your thoughts on learner drivers being allowed on the motorway. — Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17093564

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New Learner Driver Laws: Our View