Pass Plus - Why Take The Course?

The Pass Plus driving scheme in the United Kingdom is run to help reduce the amount of accidents in the UK of drivers who have just recently passed their test. It's run by certain driving schools, and it is taken after you've passed your driving test.

Introduced in 1995, the pass plus scheme was to combat the rise in accidents in young people in the two years since passing their test. The Driving Standards Agency (henceforth in this article known as DSA) in the UK, under the guidance of motoring firms (such as the RAC & the AA) and the government came up with the Pass Plus scheme, which featured the most important things & road conditions that new drivers may not be familiar with.

The scheme is primarily designed to increase driver’s confidence, and features more general driving. It can only be taken in the first year since passing the main driving test for the first time (so individuals that have been disqualified from driving cannot take the course, though similar courses are on offer to people such as these).

Why Take The Course?

There are two reasons why you should take the course.

1. To increase confidence

The main reason for undertaking the scheme is to increase confidence in driving. The driving test is usually sat under certain conditions – generally favourable for the driver (i.e. it’s light, on good roads, at times where there’s little traffic, good weather etc.). Under Pass Plus conditions, new drivers are taken to places that they normally wouldn’t have been (i.e. bad light, poor roads etc.), to try and increase confidence in their abilities.

2. To Get Cheaper Car Insurance

As an incentive, the DSA has paired with a number of driving insurance firms to allow you to get cheaper car insurance following completion of the pass plus scheme. No car? No problem! The pass plus certificate is deferred for 2 years, and you can often defer the start of it.

Course Modules

What is actually sat?

The course itself consists of six modules. These modules cover a certain aspect of driving, normally not undertaken to a great degree on the regular driving test. These modules are:-

Town driving - How to drive in busy areas such as towns & cities, with plenty of traffic management schemes, pedestrians, and plenty of traffic.

All-weather driving – Driving in less than ideal conditions, such as rain, sleet, snow & wind

Driving out of town – driving on quiet & bumpy country roads & narrow lanes.

Night driving – Driving at night.

Driving on dual carriageways – Driving on Duel Carriageways, how to join, change lane and leave safely.

Driving on motorways – Driving on three or more lane motorways.

Each module is treated individually, and may be covered in theory only, but only when the practical test is unavailable (i.e. where there’s no motorway near, or if it is a sunny day).

The Test & How To Pass

Good news!

THERE IS NO TEST!

Instead there is six, one hour modules with an instructor, and you will “pass” the module only when the instructor is happy with your driving abilities. The practical lessons are a lot more lenient than the standard driving test, and some major failures in the driving test (i.e. parking at an angle) do not matter here.

There are two levels of pass marks:-

Achieved: successfully reached the standard required for each of the competencies.

Exceeded: exceeded the required standard for each of the competencies.

However, if you only sit the theory part of the module, you can only achieve “Achieved”.

Cheap Insurance!

Now, the good part!

Of course, as well as being a top notch driver by the end of it, you will also be entitled to discounts from a number of leading insurers! These include the following:-

AA Insurance

Adrian Flux Insurance

BSM Insurance

Churchill Insurance

Co-operative Insurance Society

Direct Line

Endsleigh Insurance

Norwich Union

Privilege

Provident Insurance plc

Quinn Group

Royal SunAlliance

Tesco Personal Finance

Swinton Colonnade

Zurich Financial Services

Discounts vary per insurer, so shop around. Some give you more benefits for the insurance price, others give you discounted insurance.

Where to Go

There are plenty of places to get pass plus tuition in the UK, a quick Google search will present you with numerous driving schools in your area who are able to offer Pass Plus Tuition. Good Luck!

Img credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kelsey97/