If you have just passed your practical driving test then congratulations! This is a big achievement in your life! However, this is only the beginning of a long road ahead (so to speak!).
Pass Plus is aimed at drivers that have recently passed their driving test and are looking to further improve their driving skills.
Passing Place has a Grade A Pass Plus Registered Instructor that will take you through the Pass Plus course.
Below are some details about what a Pass Plus course involves.
If you are interested in any of the following, then taking a Pass Plus will definitely be of interest to you:
• Gaining more experience on the roads through means of driving in unfamiliar areas / situations.
• Being able to navigate yourself; planning your route, reading direction signs and responding correctly to them.
• Learning how to drive safely and correctly on motorways.
• Developing a greater level of confidence when dealing with busy roads and complicated junctions in city centres.
• Improving your knowledge about driving in adverse weather conditions.
• Gaining experience driving in adverse weather conditions.
• Learning how to drive safely and correctly at night.
• Being eligible for a significant reduction in the cost of your own car insurance.
The Pass Plus initiative, introduced by the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency in conjunction with some major insurance companies, has been set up to improve the quality and safety of young drivers on our roads. The scheme aims to build on your driving skills upon passing your driving test. Why should you need to take further tuition? Surely passing your driving test means you have been assessed as a good enough driver to cope safely with anything on the roads? Whilst the driving test goes a long way to ensure you have strong gasp of safe and correct driving, after passing the test you are on your own (your Instructor will not be there to help if things start to go wrong!) and will encounter many new and unfamiliar situations. Taking a Pass Plus course will make you a safer and more experienced driver, better prepared to deal with such situations. Why is gaining extra training important? Well, have a read of the following official statistics:
• 1 in 5 new drivers will be involved in an accident in their 1st year of driving.
• Every day, 2 young drivers (aged under 25) die in road traffic accidents.
• 35 people in the UK are killed or seriously injured every day in accidents involving a young driver.
• More than 2 out of every 5 road fatalities involve a young driver.
• New drivers make up just 10% of all licence holders, but are involved in a staggering 29% of all road traffic accidents.
(sources: Official Pass Plus website & Hampshire County Council)
Contrary to what some young people think, being a good driver is not all about having skillful control of a car and good reflexes; it is much more about driving attitude and hazard perception, driving at appropriate speeds, planning and having early anticipation of the potential dangers that lay ahead.
Statistics prove that young drivers are by far at the most risk on the roads. Many of the fatal accidents are caused due to inexperience, over-confidence, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or plain recklessness. Unfortunately, young drivers are more likely to take more dangerous risks than other drivers.
The Pass Plus syllabus takes roughly 6 hours to complete and there is NO PRACTICAL TEST at the end of the course. Instead, your Instructor will grade your performance as you progress through the course. The Pass Plus course can be completed in all within a single day if desired. The tuition you receive will build on your driving skills you have so far learnt and will cover the following 6 modules (each approximately taking and hour of tuition):-
Town centre driving
Driving in town or city can be daunting, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the area. You will learn the skills necessary to deal with rush hour traffic, a wide array of complicated junctions and traffic systems, reading road signs and more.
All-weather driving
To drive safely in heavy rain, fog, snow or ice is very different to driving in dry weather and requires adapting your driving style. You will learn the techniques to deal with driving safely in these adverse weather conditions.
Driving out of town
Driving along country roads can be particularly hazardous; narrow roads, blind bends, farm vehicles and animals on the road are just some of the dangers you will face. You will learn how to drive correctly along country roads by developing your skills in planning ahead and anticipation, adjusting the vehicle speed accordingly.
Night driving
Your first few times driving at night can be daunting, and mistakes can happen. You will be taught about driving safely at night time including dealing with dazzle from headlights, judging distance and speed and using your lights correctly.
Driving on dual carriageways
Fast, open, multi-lane roads require a high-level of concentration, good observation and anticipation, and correct lane discipline. You will improve these skills and more.
Driving on Motorways
To date, you have probably had no experience driving on a motorways. Motorways are like no other roads, and can be very daunting at first. Under expert supervision, you will learn how to drive on them correctly and safely.
By law, you must have valid motor insurance to drive on UK roads. When you first pass your driving test, and particularly if you are young, then you will have to pay a high insurance premium. This is because insurers know that young drivers are the most risk. Insurance costs can typically well exceed that of the actual value of your first car!
However, not all young drivers need to be penalised; if you are under the age of 25, you may greatly benefit from completing a Pass Plus course because you may well receive a huge discount in the cost of your car insurance. Some insurance companies will recognise and reward a young driver that has gone out of their way to receive extra training through taking a Pass Plus course, because, through this extra training and experience, they will deem you a more mature, competent and safer driver, and therefore pose less of a risk on the roads.
It is possible, though taking a Pass Plus course within a year of passing your driving test, that you could qualify for an insurance premium discount of hundreds of pounds.
For more information on the Pass Plus initiative, please visit the official Pass Plus website. The site also contains some case studies detailing the the savings some drivers have made, though taking the Pass Plus course, on their motor insurance, and a list of the insurance companies that participate in the scheme.
If you are interested in doing a Pass Plus course, please press here or the button below to make an enquiry.