Congratulations you’ve passed your driving test ….and the freedom of the open road beckons!
But now you can drive, why would you spend more money on having more driving lessons?
Well, the Pass Plus scheme isn’t just extra driving lessons, it’s about getting assistance and guidance in situations, and on roads, that you may well have had little, or no, experience of as a learner. It’s a practical course to help drivers improve their skills and drive more safely. And it might even save you money overall.¹
According to the road safety charity Brake, young drivers, aged 17-24, are at a much higher risk of crashing than older drivers. Drivers aged 17-19 only make up 1.5% of UK licence holders, but they are involved in 12% of serious and fatal crashes.²
So it makes sense to get more experience on the road, and Pass Plus can provide that.
What is Pass Plus?
Pass Plus has been developed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA, which replaced the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) in April 2014) and the driving instruction and car insurance industries. It is a short, optional course given by an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) who has been Pass Plus registered. There are six different training modules which are aimed at making young drivers safer out on the road. Anyone can take the test and it is not just for young drivers but most are new drivers.³
You can find out more about Pass Plus by watching this video:
How Pass Plus training works ⁴
Pass Plus training takes at least 6 hours. There are 6 modules which cover:
- town driving
- all weather driving
- driving out-of-town and on rural roads
- night driving
- driving on dual carriageways
- driving on motorways.
All modules should be practical sessions, and although local conditions may mean some are theory based, you’ll normally spend at least 5.5 hours driving.
There’s not a test at the end but you are assessed throughout the course and you have to reach the required standard in all modules in order to pass. Once you’ve successfully finished your training, you will be sent a Pass Plus certificate which you’ll need when applying for a car insurance discount.
Local councils offering discounts
Some local councils can offer discounts on the full Pass Plus training costs. You can check at the government website or contact your borough, town, city or county council directly to see if they can help you reduce the cost of your training.⁵
Discounts on car insurance
Pass Plus can help young drivers demonstrate to their insurer up front that they are less of a risk because they have gained extra experience behind the wheel. So a number of car insurance companies, including black box insurers insurethebox and drive like a girl, offer discounts for Pass Plus.
So is Pass Plus worth it?
Well, a discount on car insurance is very appealing, and if your local council can help with paying for the course, even better. But more importantly, as a new driver, Pass Plus might be able to help you avoid accidents by giving you valuable experience and making you better prepared, and better able, to keep yourself and your passengers safe. And you can’t put a price on that.
Sources:
[1] https://www.gov.uk/pass-plus/overview
[2] http://brake.org.uk/info-resources/info-research/road-safety-factsheets/15-facts-a-resources/facts/488-young-drivers-the-hard-facts and New research highlights need for graduated driving licensing, Transport Research Laboratory, 2014
[3] http://www.comparethebox.com/blog/what-is-the-pass-plus-scheme-and-is-it-worth-doing/ [4] https://www.gov.uk/pass-plus/how-pass-plus-training-works
[5] https://www.gov.uk/pass-plus/local-councils-offering-discounts