Guide to learning to drive
Monday 3 November 2008
For many people, learning to drive can be a milestone in our wish to become more independent and take on more responsibility.
Getting licensed
Before you can learn to drive, you will need to apply for a provisional driving licence which costs £50. You can apply for one online at Directgov or visit your local post office to obtain the D1 form. When applying by filling in the D1 form you'll need to provide a colour passport sized photo, proof of identity such as your passport or birth certificate.
You cannot learn to drive until you are 17 years old for cars or 16 for mopeds - but you can apply for your provisional up to three months before your 17th birthday.
When applying for a licence you must tell the DVLA about any medical conditions or special needs that could affect your driving. These include things like heart conditions, diabetes, cancers/ tumours and vision problems. For further details, visit the DVLA's web site.
Learning
Once you've got your licence, you will then have two options: learn with an accompanying driver or a registered driving instructor.
The Government's Driving Standards Agency (DSA) strongly recommends learning to drive with a registered Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). There are thousands of driving schools and instructors around, ranging from small independent instructors to national driving schools run by big motoring organisations. Details of all the driving instructors in your area should be available in the phone book.
Driving lessons vary in cost, but are are generally around £25 an hour.
If you do decide to practice with just an accompanying driver, they must be over 21 years old and have had a full driving licence for at least three years. They also must put you, the learner, on their car insurance, ensure the car is safe and roadworthy and put L plates on their car.
Testing time
Once you've taken enough lessons, you will then need to take take a theory test and practical driving test. These are both set by the DSA and you will need to book both tests. Your instructor should be able to help you, but you can contact the national test booking line on 0300 200 1122 or book online via their site.
The theory test is a two part test conducted on a computer. The first part is a multiple choice test where candidates need to answer 43 out of 50 questions correctly. The second part of the test is called a hazard perception test. This test consists of 14 video clips in which the candidates must identify when hazards start to develop.
For more information, take a look at the DSA's web site.
Follow the code
Many of the questions will be taken from official books such as the Highway Code, Know your Traffic Signs and The Official Driving Manual. These are available from most bookshops or the Government's Stationery Office.
Practical tests normally take around 40 minutes and are designed to see if you can drive safely and demonstrate that you know the Highway Code.
Once you have passed your test you can either hand over your licence to the examiner for automatic full licence issue within 4 weeks (if you obtained your provisional licence after March 2004), or send your licence to DVLA with your test pass certificate.
For more information and to find out what you need to do when learning to drive a motorcycle, take a look at our list of recommended links.
