the basic training,
the special training drivers,
in depth exercises and exam preparation.
The basic training makes up the biggest part of the practical training. The local and temporal factors making of the basic training is mostly up to the training instructor himself. As a rule, the basic training starts a non-public roads or roads with little traffic. In terms of time, there are no demands. However, the special training drivers may only be carried out after completion of the basic training in the case of classes A and B, at least if these licenses are being applied for the first time, or towards the and of the practical training for the other classes.
The special training drivers are an important supplement; they help the learner driver to familiarize himself with the specific traffic requirements outside of towns and in the dark. Minimum durations are prescribed for these special training drives.
After the basic training, the obligatory driving lessons must be taken. For Class B, this includes:
5
driving lessons
Training on federal highways or country roads (overland training, with one
drive with a duration of at least two lessons comprising 45 minutes each)
4
driving lessons
Training on freeways or motor roads (with one drive with a duration of at least
two lessons comprising 45 minutes each)
3
driving lessons
Training under twilight conditions or darkness (in addition to the drives 1 and
2, at least half of these an freeways, federal highways or country roads,
lesson of 45 minutes each)
total: 12 driving lessons
Along with the basic training, the Class B learner drivers take an average of 33 driving lessons before their exam, according to the latest statistics from March 2005.
After completion of the special training drives, the so-called maturity and test phase provides in depth exercises and exam preparation. The driving instructor may only complete the training once he is convinced that the learner driver has all the abilities and know-how required to pass the driving examination. It is not the only objective of the learner driver training to pass on the know-how and abilities to control a motor vehicle, but also to anchor a positive attitude required for a trouble free cooperation with other road traffic participants and avoidance of accident risks, which is just as important as the technical driving ability. In the training, the learner driver is made aware of the fact that he has a high degree of responsibility towards other people and the environment.
The driving instructors are obliged to document the progression of the theoretical and practical training in its entirety, ensuring that the training status and learning progress can be viewed by the learner driver at all tines. Furthermore, the driving schools are obliged to keep precise records of the extent of theoretical and practical training each learner driver has received. These documents must be presented to the authorities in the driving school inspection, which takes place every two years.
The continuous driving training improvements in Germany have significantly contributed to the improved traffic safety, as can be seen from the continuous reduction in the number of deaths on the road since 1970, the year with the catastrophic amount of 21.000 deaths throughout Germany. The special accident risk of beginner drivers can, however, not be fully excluded even if the driving training were as good as it could possibly be. It is restrained by the probational driver’s license, which was introduced in 1986 and the so-called second phase, a voluntary training seminar for beginner drivers. A further measure for reducing the risk of beginner drivers is the so-called accompanied driving from the age of 17, which received a legal basis in 2005. It permits 17-year-old persons to drive a motor car in accompaniment of an adult of at least 30 years holding a valid driver’s license, once the driving school training was completed in full and the theoretical and practical driving examination was passed.