Congratulations! You are now licensed to drive on any road on your own. Driving alone is an exciting experience, but can also be nerve wracking, and you may encounter situations you have not seen before and be unsure of how to deal with them safely.
Pass Plus is a scheme introduced to encourage new drivers to extend their driving experience within 12 months of passing their test. The course helps:
- Improve your skills, especially in areas of little experience such as motorways
- Reduce the risk of being in an accident.
The good news is that there is no further test for Pass Plus. By taking the course you provide yourself with a great deal of experience on a wider selection of roads than was possible with your “L” test preparation, giving you a greater level of confidence to deal with roads outside your current experience or knowledge. On completion of the course you obtain a certificate issued by the Driving Standards Agency. With this you can potentially obtain significant discounts on your car insurance - depending of course on your individual circumstances, which outweigh the cost of the training.
The Pass Plus course is defined by the Driving Standards Agency and follows a prescribed syllabus covering:
Town Driving;
All-Weather Driving;
Out of Town and Rural Roads;
Night Driving;
Dual Carriageways;
Motorways.
The course focuses on two key factors:
- Your attitude
- Responsibility for your actions
- Care and consideration for other road users
- Your skills
- Observation
- Assessing what you see
- Making decisions
- Taking the correct action.
New drivers are statistically more likely to have accidents. It can take up to 2 seconds longer for an inexperienced driver to react to danger. Recent changes in the law mean that new drivers are “on probation” for two years after passing their test. During this time you are not allowed to get more than six penalty points on your licence, otherwise you revert back to being a learner again — and have to retake both the theory and practical tests. This law is meant to reduce the number of road deaths and injuries involving new drivers who commit offences such as speeding.
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