So after much deliberation on my part I decided to complete the Pass Plus course. I won’t talk about all the six modules I completed, instead I’ll just focus on the two I enjoyed the most, motorway driving and driving in the country.

The Pass Plus is made up of six modules. These are town driving, out of town driving, motorway driving, dual carriageway driving, all weather driving and dark driving.

Pass Plus can reduce your insurance premium which is definitely a good thing. Although only some insurers offer discounts and I don’t think the one I’m with do it’s useful for the future. It’s been proven that doing Pass Plus reduces your chances of being in an accident as well. At £150, it’s a lot of money for six one hour lessons but worth it.

I went on the motorway for the first time earlier this week and despite my trepidation my instructor told me I did really well on the motorway. She isn’t one who gives out compliments often either. I won’t bore you all with the rules of the motorway, because most people who are reading this will know anyway. Plus it’s very similar to dual carriageways which I’ve blogged about before.

One of the main things that is different is signalling. On every other type of road you indicate before you do something to let other drivers know what you’re doing and so they can move out of the way or slow down slightly accordingly. However on a motorway you check everything is safe to go and then signal and make the manoeuvre. This took me a while to get used to but I was pretty good at it by the end of my two hours on the motorway.

I was also very well used to using the entry slip roads to get on and off the motorway. It is said that the majority of accidents happen on them so I was understandably wary however I tried to just treat them like a dual carriageway slip road so I had no problems.

I stayed in the left lane most of the time. I was getting used to driving at 70mph and using fifth gear. I found it quite exhilarating by the end of the lesson. My instructor even had to tell me to slow down at one point!

I have a lot more confidence now on the motorway. They are something I’ll probably be using in the future a lot so I’m really glad I had the practice with them.

A few days after my challenge driving on a motorway, I had another new driving experience. This time it was driving on country lanes. We went through villages in Cheshire, so when it was safe to do so me and my instructor were peering into shops and looking at pedestrians on the pavement to see if they were any of the famous footballers who live there. Sadly we didn’t see anybody.

That’s probably a good thing though. It allowed me to navigate the country lanes without any distraction. Country lanes are by definition, not very wide and have lots of hairpin corners so I was 100% focused the whole way. I was driving in the middle of the day, so once again my path was quiet.

I approached the sharp bends on the roads slowly and keeping as much to the left as possible in case a tractor or another slow moving vehicle was round the other side and I just couldn’t see it yet. By driving as far as you can it improves how much you can see though. I didn’t have my foot on the gas at all either so I was in complete control of the car. I didn’t encounter any horses or other farm animals on my trip. If I had, the position I was in meant I was in no danger of hitting them because there would have been plenty of space between them and my car.

I’m a big animal lover, so if there were any animals about, I already know not to scare them by continuously beeping your horn. Instead, you need to flash your lights and only use your horn once. This should make them move over. Never overtake if you can’t see what’s coming.

If the road had been too narrow to go past something, all you’d have to do is pull over to the left when you can. A lot of these country roads so have passing points at regular points which are very handy. They are wider parts of the road designed to let two vehicles or animals past. Beware of overgrown hedges that make the road look narrower then it is however. They can hide things that can hit you as well.

Some websites say to beware of slippery country roads. The lanes I was on weren’t covered in mud or anything like that. You should always take extra care in case they are and allow a greater distance between yourself and the car in front and allow more time to brake and stop if needs be too.

Overall I enjoyed life in the country. The scenery is magnificent and the roads are lovely to drive on provided you are aware of animals and other vehicles you wouldn’t get in a city.

So that’s it. That’s my experiences of being a learner over and done with. I’ll continue to update this blog though with my news and views of driving, so I hope you all continue reading :)