Early driver training in France
[3] The principle of this training is to gradually acquire, over a long period, the experience, skills, and knowledge required to drive a Category B vehicle.
[2] The advantage of this approach is that it has a higher success rate than conventional training (70% vs. 54% in 2007), mainly because the student gets more practice before taking the test.
[5] The accompanying driver should install a set of rearview mirrors on his or her car, to enable him or her to see both the sides and the rear of the vehicle.
[9] The best thing for the student is to complete the practical training quickly, to gain experience with the instructor rather than in paid lessons.
The accompanying driver's role and duty is to advise the learner, to perfect his or her training, to make him or her feel more at ease and more confident, and also to inform him or her about driving.
[3][4] The learner must drive a minimum of three thousand kilometers over an indefinite period, on a variety of routes (until December 2009, this period was a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years from the date shown on the learner's booklet (attestation de fin de formation) at the end of initial training).
[5] Accompanied driving must be carried out on a variety of routes (urban, road, freeway, and mountain), restricted to French national territory only.
All journeys must be recorded in the logbook issued by the driving school, with details of the number of kilometers driven, the type of road, any difficulties encountered, etc., so that these can be discussed with the teacher during training sessions.
[5] The purpose of these RVP (pedagogical meetings) is to confirm, advise, correct, or refocus the students, their errors, and uncorrected faults or clumsiness on the part of the supervisors.
[13] After obtaining their driving license, learner drivers must affix an A disc to the lower rear of the vehicle's left-hand bodywork for a period of two years.
[3] If the young driver loses three points at once during the probationary period, he or she must attend a road safety awareness course after receiving a registered letter from the Ministry of the Interior, reference 48N.
The success rate for obtaining a driver's license is higher among young people who have undergone accompanied driving training compared to those who have not (74% versus 55%).
In case of repeated failures, the driving theory test remains valid for five years or five practical exams.
If an AAC (Accompanied Driving) file is converted to a standard category B license (after a failure, for example), the theory test remains valid, whereas it used to have to be retaken to switch tracks until December 2009.
It also appears that young drivers who have benefited from the accompanied driving system have fewer accidents than others (the risk is reduced by five times).
In Canada, it is possible to obtain a learner's permit that allows driving a passenger vehicle under the supervision of someone who has held their license for at least two years.
In Switzerland, after passing the theoretical exam, a learner's permit (a white paper license) valid for two years and renewable is issued to the student.
The vehicle must be marked with a white "L" on a blue square, indicating Lernfahrer in German (or learner driver in English).
The second pathway requires at least 20 hours of driving school after the theoretical exam, after which the student receives a provisional license valid for 18 months.
