Male & Female driving instructors & driving lessons in Cambridge

0845 475 8586
0784 694 8832

Fisher's Lane, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB19HR

What is Pass Plus?

what-is-pass-plus-imgPass Plus is a training scheme for new drivers. Its aim is to improve your driving skills and make you a safer driver. It can also lead to insurance discounts.

The scheme has been designed by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), with the help of the motor insurance and driving instruction industries, to develop your skills and knowledge in areas where you may have limited experience.

As an indicator of its effectivness, a recent survey of L test candidates carried out by ORC International for DSA, showed that those
who had taken Pass Plus:

  • 93% felt more confident on the road
  • 89% considered that their driving skills had improved as a result of taking the course

Pass Plus will benefit you by:

  • Enabling you to gain quality driving experience safely
  • Helping you become a more skillful driver
  • Teaching you how to develop a positive driving style which is both enjoyable and safe
  • Reducing your chances of being involved in a road accident
  • Saving you money on your car insurance premiums

Pass Plus consists of a minimum of 6 hours training and the emphasis is on developing your practical driving skills. There is no test at the end. Instead you’ll be assessed throughout. All the modules must be completed to pass the course.
Pass Plus modules 1 – 6

The problem

You are vulnerable: you’ve shown by passing the driving test, that you are able to drive unsupervised on the road. As a newly qualified driver you’re much more vulnerable than you might realise. You are more likely to have a crash: statistics show that new drivers are more likely to have an accident within the first 2 years of passing their test than at any other time in their driving career. You lack driving experience: it’s not because of your age – newly qualified drivers are at higher than average risk whatever their age. The main factor is simply a lack of driving experience.

The solution

Develop your driving skills, so you can drive safely in all conditions and on all types of road. Until you do this you will be at greater risk of being involved in a road accident. That risk is reflected in car insurance premiums. This is where PASS PLUS comes in.
Designed by the Driving Standards Agency, the six-module training syllabus will develop your skills and, if you feel nervous driving on your own, it can also help to boost your confidence.

PASS PLUS works!

The Fife PASS PLUS Initiative encouraged local new drivers to take part in the scheme from 1999 to 2002.
“…in 1998 – prior to the Fife Pass Plus Initiative – 17-20 year old drivers were involved in 3.15% of the crashes in Fife. They were to blame for 69.3% of these and accounted for 7.9% of total injuries for that year. In 2002, 17-20 year old drivers were involved in 2.75% of the crashes. They were to blame for 41.8% of these and now accounted for 5% of total injuries for this year. A reduction of only 0.4% in total collisions for the 17-20 age group, but excellent 27.5% reductions in blameworthy crashes. Also there has been a significant reduction, of 2.9%, in total injuries.

Altogether, this would appear to show that the Fife Pass Plus Initiative has been a worthwhile project. Inexperience will always bring the young driver into the statistics as regards involvement in road crashes, but this fairly significant reduction in blameworthy crashes is a heartening sign for road safety.” -Fife Pass Plus Initiative Evaluation Report 2003

But I already know how to drive!

Your PASS PLUS instructor knows that you have achieved the level of competence required to pass the driving test. But as a new driver, you have relatively little driving experience.

PASS PLUS is much more than just a few extra driving lessons. As well as gaining further driving experience under expert supervision, you’ll be taught how to deal with situations you may not have faced before, such as:

  • driving in fog, rain, snow and ice
  • driving in the dark
  • motorway driving.

The course will show you some of the reasons why things can go wrong on the road and what you can do to prevent them from happening. By completing the syllabus successfully you’ll gain the satisfaction of driving safely, in a more positive and controlled way.

Positive driving

Two key factors make up a positive approach to driving.

Your attitude
  • responsibility for your actions
  • consideration for others.
Your skills
  • observations
  • assessing what you see
  • making decisions
  • taking the right action.
These essential attitudes and skills are the same, whether you are driving
  • on a busy main road
  • in adverse weather conditions
  • on a quiet country lane or road
  • at night
  • on dual carriageway
  • on motorways