Learners still avoiding motorways
Six months since the law was modified allowing Approved Driving Instructors (ADI’s) to assist students on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales, new data from Marmalade, the leading provider of telematics insurance and cars for young drivers, shows not enough learner drivers are grasping the opportunity.
According to Marmalade’s latest survey, 41% of ADI’s said that only a small minority of their pupils have requested a motorway lesson whilst more than a quarter (26%) revealed that none of their students have requested one.
Crispin Moger, CEO for Marmalade, said, ‘Giving motorway access to learner drivers was a really encouraging shift by the government because it gives learner drivers access, in a supportive environment, to develop their skillset before they become qualified drivers. The announcement was quite timely given that our annual Census revealed that motorway driving was the top ‘real life’ scenario that learner drivers (77%) wanted to experience, followed by night time driving (71%) and rush hour driving (60%).
‘Not being a compulsory part of the driving test, I understand why learner drivers are not making it an essential part of their lessons. The government has been teasing us with various announcements concerning a graduated licence for newly qualified drivers, however we are still waiting for something more concrete. As part of this scheme, I’d highly recommend the introduction of motorway driving to showcase a broader, realistic and practical perception of driving. Doing this will eliminate any long-term anxiety as individuals will be more prepared.’
Last year, 68.7 billion vehicle miles were covered on motorways resulting in traffic on these roads reaching a new all-time high and almost 10% higher than five years ago.
