CHANGES in the law which allow learner drivers to take lessons on motorways for the very first time have been welcomed.

Students with L-plates can now take to the country’s motorways so long as they are accompanied by professional instructors.

The change comes as part of new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency laws.

It has been branded one of the biggest shake-ups in driver training, coming 60 years after the first motorway opened.

Tariq Musaji, 50, has worked as a driving instructor for ten years, covering Wickford and Basildon.

He welcomed the change in the law, saying that it would give drivers more confidence travelling on motorways, but said it was “remarkable” it had taken this long.

“It is common sense,” he said. “At the moment it is the case that a pupil’s first ever experience on the motorway is after they pass their test.

“We can only give guidance.

“I will be taking advantage of this and taking my pupils onto the motorway.

“There are so many factors you need to learn from – lane discipline, forward planning and learning things like lorry blind spots.

“Travelling at 70mph you travel 30 meters per second, so there can be no room for a lapse in concentration or tiredness.

“Drivers need to be aware they travel for long periods of time on long stretches of motorway, concentration on the road is vital.

“Drivers need to have that confidence before they are let out on their own.”

The changes will come into force on June 4 this year, aimed squarely at making learners more experienced before they are handed a licence.

Mr Musaji, who has run Farrah Driver Training for ten years, said instructors would inevitably have to charge in areas where a motorway is some distance away.

“One issue is if I am going to be taking learners out on the motorway I will have to charge a bit more due to the distance we will have to go,” he said.

“However this is a good initiative and it should have been in place from the start.”

Jesse Norman, transport minister, said: “Allowing learners to drive on motorways with the support of a driving instructor will help them to develop a practical understanding of how to use motorways safely.”