Special driving lessons for your driving licence: Country roads, motorway, night driving explained

Twelve driving lessons of your training are required by law – and of all things, they are the ones that many people respect the most: country roads, motorways, darkness. Time for an honest demystification: what really happens during special driving lessons, why they are the most educational hours of training and what rules (and myths) surround them.

What special services are – and why they exist

Special drives (officcially „special training drives“, Appendix 4 of the Driving Student Training Regulations) are the only legally required driving lessons for category B – all remaining training sessions depend on your ability. The law aims to ensure that every novice driver has experienced the three most challenging environments under supervision before driving alone: country roads, motorways and darkness. Each special drive lasts 45 minutes; in practice, they are almost always combined into double or triple sessions.

The overview: 5 – 4 – 3

Special journey	Number	Core learning objectives
Cross-country journeys	5 × 45 mins.	rural road speed limits, overtaking, cornering, right of way outside built-up areas
Motorway driving	4 × 45 mins.	Merging and joining, following distance, changing lanes at high speed
Night drives	3 × 45 mins.	Driving at dawn/dusk, lights, glare

The 12 special journeys apply unchanged also for the Accompanied Driving (BF17) – and they take place at the end of the training, once your level of training makes them appropriate.

The cross-country drives: underestimated and most important

The country road seems harmless – but statistically it is the environment with the most severe accidents in later driving life. Exactly why most mandatory lessons take place here. You learn: constant driving at up to 100 km/h, proper behaviour in bends (adjusting speed BEFORE the bend), Overtake with realistic gap estimation – and the patience not to do it when there is oncoming traffic – right-of-way situations at rural junctions, tractors, cyclists and wildlife crossing areas. Many learner drivers find rural drives to be the most relaxing hours: finally driving instead of constantly stopping – with a real learning effect for anticipating traffic.

Motorway driving: the arch-nemesis that isn't one

Hardly any special lesson is so dreaded – and hardly any settles down so quickly: on the motorway there is no oncoming traffic, no traffic lights, no junctions. How it works: your driving instructor will choose a route with slips roads that are easy to see. You practice what really matters: accelerate decisively and merge (the most common beginner’s mistake is approaching too tentatively at 70 km/h – not too fast), Keep your distance (rule of thumb „half the speedometer reading“), lane changing with the mirror and blind spot check routine, the surroundings of lorries including slipstream, driving through roadworks and exiting with timely deceleration. Empirical value from thousands of driving lessons: after about ten minutes the pulse returns to normal – and after the fourth motorway drive, the motorway is one of the favourite environments for most people.

Night driving: seeing and being seen

At dusk and in the dark you learn a completely separate discipline: Using lighting correctly (when to use high beam, when to dip), with glare Avoid oncoming traffic (keep an eye on the right-hand side of the road), spot pedestrians and cyclists who aren’t wearing reflective clothing early on, and adjust your speed to suit the visibility – you must only drive fast enough to be able to stop within a manageable distance. A practical planning tip: In winter, night driving is possible as early as the early evening. – anyone who schedules their training during the dark winter months completes it without late appointments.

Rules and myths surrounding special journeys

• There is no prescribed order. The usual sequence is rural roads → motorway → night-time driving because it builds up educationally – it isn't mandatory, and combinations (e.g. rural roads + night driving in a single evening session) are everyday occurrences.
• Special lessons are not tests – but no hours just to pass the time either: your driving instructor has to confirm your level of training. If a drive goes completely wrong, it can happen that a part has to be repeated – rarely happens in practice, because the drives are only scheduled when you are ready.
• „First the theory test, then the practical lessons“ it's not a legal requirement, but widespread (and sensible) driving school practice – this way you won't run out of time with the 12-month limit.
• When changing driving schools completed special training drives are not lost – they are documented in the training record and will be carried over.
• You are on the home straight: Following the special drives, usually only the finishing touches towards the test remain – whoever has those behind them is on the home straight. The guide shows where they lie in the overall schedule How long does it take to get a driving licence?

How to prepare for any special journey

• Before the cross-country journeys: Brush up on your knowledge of overtaking bans, stopping distances and right of way out of town – this is precisely the theory that becomes practical here. And eat something beforehand: 90 to 135 minutes of concentrated driving is more physically demanding than you think.
• Before driving on the motorway: Go over the rules for merging, keeping to the right and following distance in your head (or in the learning app). Discuss with your driving instructor that the first slip road should be a quiet one – good driving instructors plan it that way anyway.
• Before the night shifts: Arriving well-rested is doubly important here – darkness makes you tired. Spectacle wearers should bring clean lenses (scattered light!), and anyone driving in winter should allow five minutes for scraping ice and checking the lights.
• After each special journey: The debrief is part of the drive – don't let time pressure cut it short. What you learn here about your typical patterns (too close? too hesitant when overtaking?), is the real material for the test drive.

Frequently asked questions about the special journeys

How much do special journeys cost?

Special lessons cost an extra fee compared to normal driving lessons at most driving schools – the specific amounts are transparently listed on our Pricing page, the overall bill in the guide Driving licence costs.

Can I do multiple special trips in a row?

Yes – that is even the norm: cross-country driving lessons practically never consist of a single 45-minute session, but rather of double or triple appointments. Four to five appointments are usually enough for all twelve lessons.

Are there fewer special journeys for the BF17?

No – the 12 special lessons also apply in full to the driving licence at 17.

Are there special driving lessons for the BE trailer licence too?

Yes, in reduced numbers: 3 cross-country journeys, 1 motorway journey and 1 night-time journey. Further details on BE and the test-free alternative B96 can be found in the guide B96 or BE?

Conclusion: compulsory programme with the greatest learning curve

The special drives are not a bureaucratic add-on, but the condensed best of driver training: the three environments that will really challenge you later on, thoroughly experienced once under supervision. Anyone who takes them seriously instead of just putting in the time will drive with more confidence from day one after getting their licence – and that is precisely their purpose.