Plus Pass

[Steve]

Do you think the Pass Plus should be obligatory for all young drivers? Do you think it would make a difference?

[sprinter2012]

Being 21 and having passed my test a couple of years go I can say the pass plus itself is never going to work because the cost of the course/lessons is more than the reduction you get in your insurance premium.

I do however think that things like motorway driving and night time driving should be included in the standard driving test.

[dave1]

<p>Do you think the Pass Plus should be obligatory for all young drivers? Do you think it would make a difference?</p>

If the driving test was more up to date with modern driving conditions then there would be no need for courses such as "pass plus". It annoys me to see driving instructors and police drivers, amongst others, who seem to have no sense of lane discipline and use incorrect lanes at roundabouts, cut the roundabout and seem unaware of traffic going past them to turn right at roundabouts. If they can't get it right what hope is there for "learner drivers?"

[steve2006]

I appreciate the driving test has moved on since I took mine in 1977 but no matter what training you receive,for example the driver awareness test new drivers have to undertake it all goes out the window once you have that full licence.

Be honest do you feed the steering wheel between your hands or cross them over? The times the steering whels slips when doing this

I will also admit the 1st thing I did when I passed my test and in my own car was drive down the M1 just to experience it and see how fast a 1963 Mini Cooper would go!

The only things which improve driver skills are experience and maturity ( that's why I am now old,grey and drive an LS400)

One thing that should be part of a driving test is skid control albeit modern cars have traction control and VSC but most recently qualified drivers will not have a 1st car with these features and all I remember from my lessons was a verbal explanation of how to recover from a skid by putting opposite lock to the skid on, clutch control seemed simple in comparison at the time.

[sprinter2012]

Be honest do you feed the steering wheel between your hands or cross them over? The times the steering whels slips when doing this

The only things which improve driver skills are experience and maturity

I totally agree...a normal driving instructor tells you to hold the wheel at the '10 to 2' position and to feed it through your hands.

An advanced driving officer for the police (and any race driver) will tell you to hold it at the 'quarter to 3' position and NEVER to let go, just cross your arms over if you need to turn tightly.

And that last bit is so true, you can have all the lessons in the world, but untill you've spent a while on the road, on your own, doing your own thing, you won't be a safe driver.

[Tango]

Being 21 and having passed my test a couple of years go I can say the pass plus itself is never going to work because the cost of the course/lessons is more than the reduction you get in your insurance premium

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Disagree with that statement. Both my daughter and son did the Pass Plus and the saving on the insurance premiums paid for the course within the first two years.