Stages of Driving

[Louise_Jones]

Does anyone know all the stages of driving?

eg

1. Receive Provisional Licence
2. Choose Drivng School
3....
4....
16. Book Pass Plus

[Halcyon]

Im just in the middle of mine at the moment.
You HAVE to have got your provisional license before you can take any lessons.
You can pick up a form to apply for a provisional license at your local post office and it costs about £30 to apply for it.
You'l need a passport photograph and once its all come through you'l have a small card and paper provisional license.

Then you book your lessons with a driving instructor / choose your driving school.
At the same time that you are taking lessons and learning about hazards, you should start revising your theory by reading the highway code and getting the AA theory test book out from your library. They have a huge load of questions so just revise those.

Then go for your theory test. There are 2 parts for a car driving theory test.....1) the theory test where you need to score 30 out of 35 and then the hazard perception test where you need to spot hazards and click each time you see one on 14 video clips. I think you need about 40 out of 75 to pass this part. Youl learn about hazards whilst doing your lessons.

Then once you have the theory out the way and have passed, your instructor can tell you when is good to book your practical test.
Once you've passed the practical test, you can apply for your official license and are now qualified to drive.

Pass Plus is a course you can take afterwards to further improove your driving and can help to lower your insurance.

[handyman]

1. Send off for provisional
2. Phone about for prices for Lessons.
3. Ask Freinds for Recomendations.
4. Book Theory test.
5. Start lessons as soon as you get your driver number not when you have the licence in your hand.
6. Take theory test.
7. Your driving instructor will let you know when to book your test.

You should look at booking at least a block of ten 1hr lessons at first to get your discount. I had 13 in all.

[basa]

I believe driving lessons are mega expensive these days ?

I ask because my mum taught me (in 1965 !!) and I taught my missus (in 1983), didn't cost a penny (except the test fee).

[Graham M]

I believe driving lessons are mega expensive these days ?

£18 ish a lesson dependant on where you live and the driving school

[Ramrod]

I'm told they are £35 with the RAC down here....

[Graham M]

F***ing hell. What a Rip off

[tweetiepooh]

Books include the Highway Code, essential for all drivers at any level.

One book that may be helpful is Road Craft. This is the police driving manual, not pursuit or anything like that, but does give some really good tips on driving safely and well.

At one time I took an intensive course that took a week in North Wales, staying in B&B and included the practical test. I failed that time and passed in the month prior to the first theory tests.

In some countries you can't even get on the road until you've passed the theory, good move in my opinion.

[paul11974]

i have just paid £1000 to obtain a class 2 hgv license and i still cant find work :(

[Nugget]

I'm told they are £35 with the RAC down here....

:Yikes:

35 quid?!?!?! Mrs Nug's learning at the moment, and she's paying 19 (and I thought that was quite expensive!).

Mind you, I am an incredible tightwad ;)

[Hom3r]

I've been driving since 1988 I paid about £10 a lesson, after I got my prov licience I had lessons, I only had to do a 30 min driving test (no theory/hazzard perception then), then I got my licence.

My full licence (not one of those gloryfied bus passes) allows me to drive load of vehicles including a 7-1/2 lorries, which game in handy on one job.

[punky]

5. Start lessons as soon as you get your driver number not when you have the licence in your hand.
6. Take theory test.

A lot of companies, especially the big ones like the AA won't take you out unless you have passed your theory test, so you should do that first really.

[Matth]

The other question, should you ever ask friends / family members to teach you ?

If so, at what stage:

One other question to ask yourself - manual or auto - if you learn and pass on an auto, you will not be able to drive a manual without an additional test.

I learned on a manual, I now drive auto, and I'm never going back. If you're happy to go "auto only", then that instanly despatches many learner trouble spots like clutch control, stalling (I don't believe it's possible to stall a currectly operating automatic).

PS. The Manual I learned on was front wheel drive, making the clutch bite obvious as the pull agianst the handbrake causes the front to lift. I had good clutch control, so good that I didn't stall it when I'd slipped into 3rd instead of 1st - Bah! what's the point of a manual gearbox anyway!

[Halcyon]

I've just booked my practical test - £45.50 !!!! Expensive for what it is !!!

[Matthew]

I'm currently learning with Systematic (http://www.systematicuk.co.uk/) the only reason I went with them is because one of the instructors lives in the same village which was handy as I am about 30 mins from town.

Block bookings of 10 lessons cost me £159.50 . The DSA recommends around 50 lessons but my instructor says 30 max is all you need.

HTH

[Chris W]

BSM recommend doing some driving before taking a theory test- it is much easier to learn for theory when it is not just "theory" as you will have put a lot of it into practise on the road. Actually driving makes the hazard perception test much easier as well.

My dad (driving instructor) says the average number of lessons at the moment is 40 something (can't remember the exact figure). Of course, if you have a spouse/ friend who can go driving with you in between lessons that speeds things along and saves you money too.

Personally, I had about 10 lessons the first time round, and when i had to retake my test (license revoked under the New Drivers Act) i had about 4 hours just to get me out of the nasty habits i had picked up through nearly two years of driving.

The number of lessons required is very much dependent on the driver- Dad has had one person to whom he gave 120+ hours of tuition, but others who only need a few hours to learn how to pass their test.