Driving is one of those activities that involves low amounts of set benchmark levels that you can use to assess people’s performance, especially initially. Many people have particular difficulties in parallel parking, while others find driving through the hills to be an incredibly tiresome task. Learning to drive is a similarly variable task as well. In driving, there’s always someone you know who passed their driving tests in their first attempt. But that does not in any way dictate the norm or average. As per the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the average driver needs driving lessons totaling around forty-five hours in addition to 22 hours of practice to learn how to drive. Intensive driving instruction courses can help you eliminate the L-plates after getting just ten hours of driving instruction. However, remember that is not that rule but rather the exception.
Initial Steps You Need To Follow
Before you enroll for driving lessons, you will usually need to be of a certain age, usually seventeen in the US, and you will need to apply for a provisional license. After completing your learner’s training and having successfully passed the driving test, you can drive on your own. You can apply for the latter by simply filling out a paper form. Another more convenient option is to use governmental sites like those of the UK and US. Considering that you had applied for and received your provisional license in time, you can start taking lessons from the day you turn seventeen in the UK. Additional tips that are sure to help you are as follows:
Choosing The Right Instructor Is Important
The first thing you should know before enrolling in driving lessons is that they might be expensive. Each class will cost you around twenty-five pounds, making the whole proposition costing you over a thousand pounds, considering the average hours a person usually needs to pick up the skill. Remember you have yet to pay for your driving test and other costs that come with a full-fledged driver’s license. You need to pick your driving instructor with care as it may otherwise prove to be an expensive mistake. So, choose one after considering all aspects.
Good Driving Theory
Passing the driving theory test is a mandatory part of the whole process of acquiring a driver’s license. You need to understand the intricacies of driving theory thoroughly. Examiners will be watching how you apply theoretical knowledge to practical driving, making the test critical. The theory test consists of the following two parts:
- Perceiving potential hazards through checks and acquiring the ability to spot and respond to driving hazards.
- A multiple-choice test comprises topics that cover the vehicle, safety, road rules, driving conditions, traffic signs, and others.
Learning enough to pass the theory test indeed is hard work, but it isn’t anything that you can’t do. Prepare properly, and you should do ok, and it won’t take you that long. The test, as administered within the UK, consists of questions from three books, which are as follows:
- Know Your Traffic Signs
- The Official Highway Code
- The Official DVSA Guide To Driving – The Essential Skills
You should buy these three books and make it a point to gain a thorough understanding of the subject matter through detailed reading.
The Test Itself
The driving test itself is thankfully not a long and cumbersome process, and it will take about forty minutes of your time. However, before you walk into your car, you will need to check your eyesight. This eyesight test will test to see if you can see number plates clearly from twenty meters away. Following this, there will be several safety test questions, after which the driving itself will be examined.
Stay Cool
It will be harsh if people consider it unusual to be a bit edgy before the test. It is normal and ok, and the following tips will help you stay calm:
- Make sure to set the test date on a relatively free week.
- Get adequate rest on the test day. Tiredness will make you more vulnerable to reduced ability to focus and driving skills, which will increase the chances of slip-ups.
- Try to visualize yourself acing your driving test. Never even think about failure, and keep in mind that instructors will give you the go-ahead on your test only when they feel ready for it.
- Another thing to do is to schedule a test time slot as early as possible. This means less time for waiting and worrying. Remember to arrive ten to twenty minutes before time. This number is the best balance between rushing and waiting.
It is certainly hoped that you ace the test and are finally behind the wheels on your own. You can now drive confidently and enjoy all the freedom you get from the same. You will soon receive a full license, usually sent via postal mail. Enjoy the drive!
