Well done Dovydas Bonckus and your instructor Zac on a great first time pass in sunny Newbury. Having started driving lessons in August as a complete beginner you worked hard and managed to pass 3 months later. Thank you also for you kind words of praise for your instructor: “Fantastic instructor – calm, supportive, and really helped build my confidence. Passed first time! Highly recommend Zac.”
While new drivers like Dovydas gain their freedom on the roads, the debate over motorway safety continues to make headlines. The Transport Select Committee recently asked a panel of experts whether they’d feel safer with family members driving on a controlled motorway (one that keeps a hard shoulder) or a smart motorway (which removes it but adds technological safeguards).
Chris Todd, Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, said that if it came to a choice, he’d prefer his family to have “the additional safety” of a hard shoulder. His view was echoed by Nicholas Lyes, Head of Policy at the RAC, who agreed that while technology can enhance safety, removing the hard shoulder has changed how drivers must react in emergencies. He compared it to “changing an aircraft’s emergency procedures without briefing the pilot” a reminder that progress must be matched by preparation and public understanding.
Driving, whether on country roads or modern motorways, is all about confidence, awareness, and making safe choices something every new driver learns on their journey to independence. S next time you drive on motorways like the M4 that have a mixture of traditional and smart, bear in mind the change of driving skills and the extra care needed for the newer kind of roads that we’re not all used to yet.