The DSA have announced that they are to stop publicising the Driving Test Routes.
Here at 1st Class Rider Training- Cardiff, we welcome that move. We are a firm believer that it is no good to teach a candidate simply to rehearse a test route, but to teach them to ride, and then passing the test is easy.
If you go to any area which has a test centre nearby you will see the same driving/ riding schools riding around and around the test routes. We believe that this does not do the candidate any good in their decision making and enhancing their own ability to read the road and road signs. They are simply learning a test route by rote.
As trainers we must be looking to produce the next generation of road users who are safe and make good timely decisions of their own accord and not simply turn out drivers and riders who get rid of the L plates as quickly as possible.
We have a responsibility to our students to ensure that they can get the best from their bike, before it gets the better of them. We make a point of training and riding anywhere other than the test route to fully prepare our students for life on the road. That way they have to develop their own skills at reading the road and taking notice of road signs.
This is why we take students for tests at any test centre we can get to and back in day. It all counts in their favour and the fact that they ‘”don’t know the area” shouldn’t have any affect on their ability to ride safely and with confidence.
Let’s produce Riders…. not just get rid of L plates.
Good move DSA, Well Done.
