Newslink February 2021

Towards your CPD
First steps on the m-ways
can be daunting – but fun!
Continued from page 21
A key risk when dealing with
motorways is the hard shoulder. This
lane is statistically the most dangerous
place to be on a motorway, and the
dirtiest lane. Pupils should know the
risks involved and how to exit their
vehicles safely should they breakdown,
via the nearside (passenger) doors NOT
the driver’s side), and to stand well away
from the vehicle, preferably behind a
barrier if there is one.
They should understand the
advantages of using the emergency
phones and facing the traffic while
talking to the operator, or if they have to
use a mobile phone, be able to give their
location using the codes on the
telephone marker posts.
Once you leave the hard shoulder to
re-join the man carriageway you need to
be aware that the hard shoulder is the
place where all the debris ends up,
therefore it is important to check the
tyres at the earliest opportunity to make
sure nothing is likely to cause any
damage.
There is a good section in Driving – the
Essential Skills on motorway driving; it
is worth spending some time refreshing
your knowledge before teaching this
lesson. All of the main points can be
made up as a work book for pupils to
work through prior to the lesson.
car up with fuel so they can select the
correct pump.
If a service station is not on your route
try to leave at a suitable exit and find
somewhere suitable to stop if you feel it
is necessary. If your pupil is happy to
carry on then do so. The purpose of the
practical session is for pupils put into
practice what has been discussed during
the recap and briefing.
The old Chinese proverb which says: ‘I
hear – I forget, I see – I remember, I do
– I understand’ relies on learners being
able to see things relating to what they
have heard and then doing something
that links what they have seen and
heard. For example, stopping distances
are generally learnt by rote, with no real
understanding. The distance between
two telephone marker posts is 100
metres (yes metric!) and the stopping
distance at 70mph is 96 metres (in good
conditions). Linking what has been heard
to what can be seen helps pupils
remember things in the future.
Lane discipline is an essential part of
risk management, to the extent that the
police can now stop and issue fines to
drivers who ‘hog’ lanes when the one to
their left is clear. Pupils should identify
when it is safe and appropriate to return
to the next lane and understand how to
overtake moving vehicles. As a general
rule, drivers should clearly see the
vehicle they have overtaken in their
interior mirror before checking the
nearside door mirror before changing
lanes unless there is slower moving
traffic in those lanes.
Working out when to return (to a left
hand lane) can be debatable; something
that I have used for many years is
looking for the third telephone marker
post ahead of me (each one is 100
metres apart, remember). If I can see the
third one I know that I should be moving
over, if I can’t see it then the chances are
it is hidden by slower moving traffic. This
is just a guide line and it needs to remain
flexible.
Practice and route planning
The practical section should be broken
down into small chunks. If you can plan
to stop at a service station on route then
that would be perfect. While in the
service area you could use the bay
parking exercise as an additional activity
before giving and receiving feedback from
the initial drive. Motorway service
stations can be busy places so it is a
good idea to give pupils some practice
while under supervision of how to
navigate such areas. I am normally pretty
good with finding my way around the
country but I still manage to lose my
bearings in large car parks!
It is also worth pointing out the cost of
fuel at service stations while you are
there to encourage pupils to fill up before
they leave home.
A point worth mentioning here is that
it is essential to teach pupils how to fill a
In case you ever wondered!
Telephone marker posts and signs pinpoint your exact position and correct
carriageway. The larger signs are for mobile phone users to save you having to walk
to an emergency phone.
M6 – identifies the motorway, the letter A or B marks the direction of travel, eg Away
from Junction 1 and Back to Junction 1 (There are other letters used to identify slip
roads and link roads) and the figure (306.0) identifies distance (in kilometres) from
junction 1.
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