Highways England has supported the creation of a new online driving hub to help improve learner drivers’ safety awareness as the law changes to allow them to drive on motorways.
From Monday (4 June) learner drivers who are ready to take their test can have motorway driving lessons – with an approved driving instructor using a dual controlled car.
Any such lessons will be voluntary and it will be up to the instructor to decide when the learner is ready.
The Driving Hub features a series of free learning modules to help drivers and instructors motorway driving. It is also aimed at improving the driving skills of all road users.
Highways England's head of road safety, Richard Leonard, said: ‘We want all drivers on our motorways to be as safe as possible. We’re looking forward to helping the motorway drivers of tomorrow to develop new skills and get invaluable practical knowledge and experience of using motorways thanks to this law change.
‘To help instructors and learners prepare we have worked with our partners to set up these really valuable free resources and I’d urge people to log on and take a look. It will help everyone, not just learner drivers, be safer on our roads.’
The free driving hub tutorials are accessible by logging onto the site and include a range of courses covering everything from safety checks, to driving on high-speed roads, reading the road, being a considerate driver and managing incidents and breakdowns, as well as a dedicated section for learner drivers.
Highways England has worked with the Department for Transport, DVSA, DVLA, the Driving Instructors Association, Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council, Motor Schools Association of Great Britain and Trak Global, in setting up the website.
It said it believes the law change will help develop ‘a smarter generation of motorway road users’, allowing instructors to teach learners about the specific set of skills associated with using motorways safely in a practical situation.
