Learner Drivers on Motorway

Learning To Drive On a Motorway in Shrewsbury

Learner drivers on motorway??

From Monday 4 June 2018, learner drivers will be able to take driving lessons on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales.

This will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely.

At the moment, you can only have motorway lessons after you’ve passed your driving test. Some newly-qualified drivers take lessons through the voluntary Pass Plus scheme.

How the change will work

Learner drivers will need to be:

  • accompanied by an approved driving instructor
  • driving a car fitted with dual controls

Any motorways lessons will be voluntary. It will be up to the driving instructor to decide when the learner driver is competent enough for them.

  • The change only applies to learner drivers of cars. Learner motorcyclists won’t be allowed on motorways.
  • Trainee driving instructors won’t be allowed to take learner drivers on the motorway.

Motorway driving isn’t being introduced to the driving test as part of this change.

Making sure road users are ready for the change

The change is being well publicized so that:

  • driving instructors and learner drivers are prepared
  • other road users know what to expect

The Highway Code rules on motorways will be updated.

Driving near learner drivers on the motorway

As with any vehicle on the motorway, keep a safe distance from a learner driver in front of you. Increase the gap on wet or icy roads, or in fog.

You should always be patient with learner drivers. They may not be so skillful at anticipating and responding to events.

Driving instructor vehicles and training

Driving instructors can decide if they want to use a driving school rooftop box during motorway lessons, based on its instructions.

The car will need to display L plates on the front and rear if the rooftop box is removed.

For those learning to drive in Shrewsbury, the nearest Motorway is the M54 at Telford, even now as a pupil gets nearer to driving test standard, it has always been part of the training to go on the dual carriageway across to Telford

This is a 2 lane road so therefore the speed limit is 70 mph. Exactly the same as driving on the M54, so if you are not able to have a 2 hour driving lesson, which allows you the time required to get to the M54, practice for some distance and then return to Shrewsbury, it really doesn’t matter as the dual carriageway that encircles Shrewsbury is all 70 mph anyway.