Learning to drive is a big achievement. You can bask in your independence. You can do late-night big Tesco trips. You can drive yourself to training, work, wherever, whenever (with or without Shakira playing).
No pressure, right?
It takes a lot of confidence to take your driving test. So, we’ve put together some tips to help you get in the zone.
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New year, new you. 2023 is an open road ahead of us and this may / will be the year you pass your driving test.
But, as only around 50% of drivers passed their test in 2021/22, how can you best prepare?
Well, you’ve done the first thing already – you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve put together 10 simple driving test tips to help cut out any worries you might have about the big day.
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Increasing numbers of young drivers are deciding that learning to change gear in a car is a waste of time. The past 12 months has seen an 11 per cent year-on-year jump in the number of drivers qualifying with an automatic-only licence.
In 2012, there were just 550,000 drivers holding automatic-only licences. In 2021, that figure had doubled to 1.1 million.
According to a recent survey by safety charity IAM RoadSmart, around six in 10 youngsters between 17 and 24 plan to apply for an automatic-only licence.
Others think the popularity of automatic-only licences could go further, faster. Approved driving instructor Karen Bransgrove revealed: “The market for people learning to drive just an automatic has increased 10-fold over the past few years. I now have an automatic and wouldn’t teach driving a manual.”
The driving licence is an unsung part of many of our lives but it’s going to change soon. The government has revealed it wants all driving licences to be digital from 2024. It is developing a smartphone app that everyone will have their driving licence on.
To celebrate the impending demise of the driving licence, take our cunning quiz to see how much you know about it.
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If your learning to drive was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll be relieved to hear things are getting back to normal.
Driving lessons have been held again since the beginning of July. Learners who feel they’re ready have been able to book a test since August 26. However, reserving a test slot has proved difficult because of technical difficulties with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website. Read on to find out more about learning to drive and taking the test.
Updated 03 November.
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The country is having a second COVID-19 lockdown from 5 November to 2 December. What does this mean for car owners? Read on to find out about MOTs, what’s happening with petrol stations, and what other motoring services are and aren’t available.
Getting the keys to the open road is an exciting moment. But changes are afoot (Picture iStock/Londoneye)
New drivers could face a strict probationary period after they’ve passed their test. Plans drawn up by the government will restrict what newly qualified drivers can do when they hit the road. The government wants to slash the disproportionately high number of accidents involving the 17-24 age group.
A Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) spokesperson explained: “Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) will establish a revised training and testing regime for car drivers and motorcyclists. It will introduce some post-test restrictions for drivers/riders to reduce the over-representation of new – mainly young – drivers/riders in fatal and serious road collisions.” Read on to find out more.
New research has revealed that the stopping distance prescribed by the government’s Highway Code is too short. They now believe it could take drivers half as much time again to come to a halt in an emergency. Road safety campaigners have called on the government to undertake an urgent review. They want the stopping distance section of the Highway Code revised.
In order to handle a car legally on public roads in the UK, new drivers have to pass a 40-minute driving test. But to ensure the test better prepares drivers for modern motoring, the biggest shake up in 20 years is happening in December 2017.
The driving test will still last the same amount of time and still be marked the same way. It will still cost £62 on weekdays, £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. But from Monday December 4, the driving test in England, Scotland and Wales will face the most far-reaching changes since the addition of the theory test in 1996. Here are the four new features budding drivers will encounter.
To many people, the driving test is a rite of passage. Like turning 16, heading off to university or arriving for the first day of work, ripping up the L-plates is something we all remember.
However, some drivers look back and feel a chill run down their spine. The driving test may have been one of the most stressful times of their life. And to make matters worse, it may have taken several attempts to pass.
All too often, that’s because they unwittingly sat the examination in an area with one of the lowest pass rates in the UK.
Believe it or not, at the UK’s toughest test centres, less than a third of candidates get their licence. The most successful areas see a staggering 80 per cent pass first time.
So the 1.5 million new drivers looking to pass every year should think carefully about where they take their theory and practical tests. Especially in light of the changes to the test, due to be introduced this December.
Plan ahead, and it could be as easy as mirror-signal-manoeuvre. Pick poorly and it could be more bump and grind.