Why Country Driving Is Essential for Learners Before They Go Solo

8 Dec

Most learners grow up driving only in suburbia. It’s great for early driving skills, but it simply does not prepare them for the unique risks of rural and regional roads. The statistics make this very clear.

Across Australia, rural and regional roads have a road-crash death rate of around 9.6 per 100,000 people, compared with 2.2 per 100,000 in major cities. And despite most Australians living in metropolitan areas, more than half of all road fatalities occur on rural or regional roads.

These roads look open and forgiving, but the data — and real-world experience — show the opposite.

Why rural roads are so dangerous for new drivers

A recent Federal Parliamentary Road Safety Inquiry highlighted how unforgiving country roads can be:

A driving instructor told the committee that “most deaths on rural roads are not caused by extreme or risky behaviour but by simple mistakes on very unforgiving roads.”
Monash University Accident Research Centre reported that three-quarters of serious injuries in regional and remote areas come from single-vehicle run-off-road crashes, usually on high-speed roads with poor roadside safety infrastructure.
South Australian Police stated that 52 percent of rural fatal crashes involved a single vehicle that left the road and struck a fixed object — no other vehicle involved.

These aren’t high-speed chases or reckless behaviour.
They’re ordinary drivers making ordinary mistakes… on roads that don’t forgive them.

This is why I strongly believe every learner needs safe, supervised experience outside suburbia before going solo.

A note from my experience as a former truck driver

Before becoming a driving instructor, I spent more than 15 years driving trucks across Victoria, transporting chemicals and dangerous goods to regional towns. My weeks were a mix of metro deliveries and long runs across the east and west of the state.

Spending that much time on regional highways teaches you how quickly things can change.

A quiet straight road can suddenly present:

a kangaroo on the verge
a vehicle drifting slightly over the centre line
a deep pothole after a storm
a blind crest hiding a slow-moving vehicle
a bend that tightens unexpectedly

If you are not scanning early and ready to respond calmly, things can turn serious very fast. These are risks most learners never encounter until they already have their licence — which is far too late.

Why country driving matters for learners

A structured rural session teaches learners:

High-speed calmness

Holding lane position at 100–110 km/h without wandering or over-correcting. Many new drivers tense up on high-speed roads or steer too much when the road dips or rises. At 100 km/h, even small errors can build quickly — learning calm control early makes a massive difference.

Long-range scanning

Reading far ahead to spot hazards early, including wildlife, crests, shadows, surface changes and drifting vehicles. Most learners only scan the next few car lengths. Country driving forces them to lift their eyes and predict what’s coming long before it becomes a problem.

Bends and crests

Understanding how to approach rural corners, adjust speed early and avoid panic steering. Many bends tighten unexpectedly, and blind crests can hide slow vehicles, wildlife or potholes. These are skills learners never encounter in suburbia.

Fatigue awareness

Longer drives help learners recognise early signs of tiredness: slower reactions, zoning out, hand tension and reduced attention. Experiencing this safely with a supervisor is essential before their first long solo drive.

Real-world confidence outside suburbia

Learners rarely face real rural hazards before they get their licence. Kangaroos, tractors doing 30 km/h, deep potholes, tight bends, uneven edges and high-speed closing distances can overwhelm inexperienced drivers. Confidence comes from exposure — and it is far safer to learn these skills with support.

Common mistakes learners make on country roads

Over-correcting when the car drifts

A slight wander becomes a big steering correction, which can cause the car to fishtail or leave the road.

Braking too late for corners

Learners often enter a bend too fast and try to fix it mid-corner — one of the most dangerous mistakes.

Missing surface changes

Bitumen to gravel, patched potholes, dips and ridges each require different handling. Many learners don’t recognise these early enough.

Not scanning far enough ahead

They miss animals, broken road edges or slow-moving vehicles until it’s too late to react safely.

Treating rural roads like wide suburban streets

Long straight roads feel safe but statistically are among the most deadly in Australia due to high speeds and unforgiving edges.

Why I created the Country Skills Drive

Because suburbia alone cannot prepare a learner for Australia’s most dangerous roads.

This drive exists to give learners the exposure and coaching they will not get anywhere else. I’ve seen learners who are excellent around Geelong freeze up the moment the road hits 100 km/h or when a blind crest appears. That hesitation — or the wrong reaction — is exactly what leads to run-off-road crashes.

Another common issue is braking too late into a bend. Even when the learner doesn’t lose control, heavy late braking can create a hazard for any vehicle behind them — especially trucks, which cannot stop quickly and may be forced to take evasive action.

This session gives learners: