Shropshire Star reporter Abigail Bates puts her motoring skills to the test by tackling the Driving Standards Agency’s new “Pass Plus” challenge

Getting my driving licence after an agonising year of seemingly endless lessons and fraught driving tests felt like winning the lottery.

At 17, I’d grown up in a rural village on the Welsh border and finally I’d earned my ticket to independence. Being able to jump in the car and meet up with friends for meals, cinema and shopping trips at the drop of a hat made all the hard work and expense worth it, and nothing was going to stop me from getting about here, there and everywhere in my new wheels.

However, like so many other young drivers who just can’t wait to hit the road, I lacked the experience needed to become a completely safe and competent motorist, and during those first few months I realised just how hazardous driving can be.

The Driving Standards Agency’s Pass Plus course aims to ease this problem, by providing extra training to equip new drivers with some of the skills, knowledge and experience they need to feel safe on the road alone once the L-plates have been ditched.

It is aimed at people who have been driving less than 12 months who need some support with issues like motorways, dual carriageways and night driving, and can give young drivers a discount off their car insurance.

Although I’ve been driving for some years now, finally getting around to completing the course has made me realise how important it is to be as safe and as skilled as you can, and I wish I’d done it much sooner.

The most important thing I learned was to always be aware of the situation on the road, and always be ready, willing and able to slow down or act on any hazard thrown into your path.

You might think you don’t need to fork out well over £100 to learn something so simple, but as Shropshire driving instructor Shirley Rutter says, any motorist of any level can benefit from some extra support, and it all helps to make the county’s roads safer for everyone.

“The Pass Plus course is about giving new drivers more confidence and making them safer on the road during their first few months, but it’s just as important for drivers to continue to assess and challenge themselves throughout their driving career; everyone can benefit from a bit of tuition from time to time to refresh their skills,” she says.

“Being a safe driver is something you need to strive to do every time you get into the car – it might save your own or someone else’s life.”

During the second half of my Pass Plus training, Shirley and I tackled a journey from Shrewsbury to Birmingham, going over dual carriageway and motorway.

I didn’t dare venture onto a motorway for months after I passed my test because I was worried about the break-neck speeds some drivers travel at, so the course would have given me a much needed confidence boost if I had taken it sooner after passing my driving test.

Shirley gave me some hints on how to make joining motorways and dual carriageways easier and safer, like having a glance at the road you’re joining while you are crossing a bridge on a roundabout, making sure you judge the speed of other vehicles correctly and indicating at the right time.

When moving across lanes, don’t leave your signal on for too long to avoid leading other drivers to think you are moving further than you are, but do always remember to signal correctly and with enough time so other road users know of your intentions.

Most importantly, I was reminded how vital it is you leave enough space between yourself and the car in front.

Shirley asked me to perform an emergency stop (not on the M6!) and it made me realise how much stopping distance you really need, unless you want to plough into the back of someone else’s car.

You need to keep two seconds away from the car in front, and in ice and snow you should multiply this by up to ten to account for stopping in slippery conditions.

Another simple but often forgotten piece of advice was to concentrate. At any one time, Shirley says, only one in four drivers are paying attention to the task in hand, but everyone should be taking stock of the road as it unfolds ahead of them.

New drivers in Shropshire can get £30 off the course from the Shropshire Council and depending on their insurance provider, may be able to make substantial savings on their insurance premiums.

Because I passed my test a few years ago, I won’t be eligible for a car insurance discount, but I’m glad I’ve completed the course because I will gain much greater benefits. More confidence on the road, safer driving skills and a reduced risk of being involved in a car crash are all priceless, and one day I might even say I owe my life to the skills I gained on the course – that’s something money can’t buy.