Only do long-distance drives once your learner is more experienced or has their restricted licence.

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• Planning and preparation
• Coaching during the long-distance drive
• Driving skills to focus on

If your learner is ready to try long-distance driving, you don’t have to make a special trip somewhere. Simply use a trip that you were planning anyway such as a holiday or family outing. If at any time during the drive your learner looks fatigued, have them pull over and swap drivers. Signs of fatigue include:

• Reacting more slowly to changing road conditions, other drivers or pedestrians.
• Drifting within their lane or over the centre line.
• Varying speeds.
• Yawning.
• Late braking.

Planning and preparation

Planning and preparation play a large part in making sure your learner completes their long-distance journey safely.

Here are a few key points to go through together:

• Be well rested before starting the journey, avoid driving during the hours when they’d normally be sleeping.
• Check weather, road and traffic conditions before you go.
• Allow plenty of time to get where you’re going, including rest breaks.
• Plan to stop for a rest of around 15 minutes at least every 2 hours.
• Stay hydrated.
• Stop and rest or change drivers if your learner becomes tired.

Coaching during the long-distance drive

During this session, leave all decisions up to your learner and only get involved if there is a safety concern.

Get them to discover their own mistakes by asking relevant questions. Remember the WASP technique – Wait, Ask, Show, Practise.

Driving skills to focus on

• Observation: make sure your learner checks their mirrors and maintains a 12-second search ahead. This will help keep them aware of oncoming and surrounding traffic.
• Signs: there will be lots of road signs. It’s important they pay attention to these signs and make the necessary driving changes. For example, an advisory speed sign on a curve.
• Speed control: make sure they stay within the speed limits and drive at a safe speed for the conditions.
• Following distance: check they keep to a 2-second following distance in normal conditions. Or a 4-second following distance in wet or icy conditions.
• Curves: check they drive through curves correctly. They should brake before a curve and use the correct lines in and out of the curve.
• Positioning: make sure they keep left and don’t cross the centreline at any time, except when passing.
• Sharing the road: make sure they have a patient and courteous attitude towards sharing the road with others. For example, people on bikes or large trucks. If traffic builds up behind them, make sure they find a safe place to stop and let the following traffic past.
• Indicating: check they use their indicators to communicate any change in direction.
• Passing: when passing slow traffic, check they do it safely. They should have at least 100 metres of clear road ahead when they have finished passing.
• Distractions: make sure they manage or remove distractions inside and outside the car.
• Stopping: if they need to stop, check they can come to a stop in a safe place. Remember, they’ll need to be as far left as possible or off the road.
• Rest breaks: when driving a long distance, they should take rest breaks at least every 2 hours.
• Fatigue: check they can they recognise the warning signs of fatigue and find a safe place to stop and rest if they need to.