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BEFORE THE TEST

Legal Requirements To Learn To Drive

Before you can learn to drive a car, moped or motorcycle you must apply for a provisional driving licence. Provisional driving licences are available from the DVLA, and may not be applied for online, as you are required to physically confirm your identity. If you already hold a valid full driving licence and want to learn to drive larger vehicles, minibuses or buses you will need to apply for provisional entitlement for these vehicles.

BEFORE THE TEST – Legal requirements to learn to drive

In order to learn to drive on British roads, you must meet several legal pre-requisites. These are simply put as:

• You must hold a valid provisional driving licence
• You must be of an appropriate age to drive the vehicle
• You must display learner driver identification “L” plates
• You must be supervised by a person who is over 21 and has held a valid full drivers licence for 3 or more years.

Applying For A Provisional Driving Licence

Before you can learn to drive a car, moped or motorcycle you must apply for a provisional driving licence. Provisional driving licences are available from the DVLA, and may not be applied for online, as you are required to physically confirm your identity. If you already hold a valid full driving licence and want to learn to drive larger vehicles, minibuses or buses you will need to apply for provisional entitlement for these vehicles. In order to apply for a licence, you will need DVLA form “D1”, which is available form your local post office. With this form, you will need to enclose original documentation confirming your identity, a passport style colour photograph and the fee of £38.00. The form has the address of the DVLA to post to. Confirmation of your identity should usually be your passport; however, the DVLA also accepts the following items as proof of identity.

• UK birth certificate
• certificate of registry of birth (provided your name is present on the certificate)
• adoption certificate
• identity card issued by a member state of the European Community / European Economic Area (EC/EEC)
• travel documents issued by the Home Office
• certificate off naturalisation

If your photograph does not appear on your chosen certificate of identity, you will need to have your photograph certified
as a true likeness of yourself by a ‘person of worthy stature’. This certification is part of the “D1” form, and may be completed by

• a local business person or shopkeeper
• a librarian
• a professionally qualified person, for example, a lawyer, teacher or engineer
• a police officer
• a bank or building society officer
• a civil servant
• a minister of religion
• a magistrate
• a local councillor or an MP (AM, MEP and MSP)

DVLA aim to deliver your driving licence to you within three weeks of receiving your application. This time may become longer if the DVLA have to check in on any of your details, or do not receive all of the information which they require. If you are applying for provisional entitlement to drive larger vehicles, you will require form “D2” and form “D4”. The “D2” form is the application for the provisional licence, and form “D4” is a medical report to certify that you are of sufficient health to drive a potential threat to others. The form “D4” has to be completed by a doctor and you should ensure that all the relevant questions are completed. In addition to these two forms, you will require to send confirmation of your identity (as above), a passport style colour photograph, and your current driving licence. There is no fee for this enhancement of you driving licence.

Medical requirements for driving

You must tell the DVLA if you have ever had, or currently suffer from a medical condition or disability that may affect your driving. You must also provide details of a medical condition or disability that has become worse since your licence was issued or you develop a new medical condition or disability, as it may affect your fitness to drive. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. All driving licence application forms contain a series of health questions and you must declare if you suffer from a notifiable medical condition or disability.

BEFORE THE TEST – What type of course is best for me?

There are several methods of driving tutoring available. You should consider which method suits your needs and abilities before embarking on a course, as you do not want to waste both your time and your money.

Hourly Tuition

The traditional method of learning to drive, hourly tuition offers one-to-one training over periods of an hour in-car. This means that you can take as much time as you need to become familiar with driving and have plenty of time to practice actual road skills with family and friends in between your direct tutelage time. With this style, you only take your theory and practical tests when you and your instructor agree that you are ready.

Intensive home courses

An intensive course is a stepped-up version of the hour a week method. Within the bounds of the intensive course, you are given many hourly sessions, and exposed to intense driving. This course style can lead to enhanced pressure and failure rate can increase because of this. However, if you are a confident driver, who has perhaps had previous driving experience, or copes well with pressure, these courses can get you up to speed very quickly and cost effectively. Some intensive courses require that you have passed your theory test before you begin, so that you are ready to jump straight into practical driving.

Intensive residential courses

The most intense driving courses you can get, these training camps will make you eat, sleep and drink driving for several days and give you a driving test at the end. These courses should only be considered if you are ready or able to take the time away from work or school. As with the home-based intense courses, you will need to be able to cope with the pressure, and should have passed your theory test before embarking on the course, as you will be driving, not hitting the books. You also have an opportunity to learn to drive in unfamiliar conditions, or a stay in a nice hotel. With courses available anywhere in the UK you can enjoy a holiday whilst learning to drive. If you pick a school out, ask the following questions before you book. It may help you to see if this driving school is for you.

• How long have you been a driving Instructor?
• Do you have male or female instructors?
• Are all your instructors fully qualified?
• Can I have the same instructor for all my lessons?
• How long is each lesson?
• What type of cars do you use?
• Are the cars dual controlled?
• How old are the cars?
• Do I have the same car for every lesson?
• Do you have a individual pick up service?
• Do you work weekends?
• Can you pick me up after school, work or college?
• How much are your lessons? (the cheapest seldom means the best).
• Do you have discounts for block booking?
• Which Test centre do you use?
• What’s your pass rate?

BEFORE THE TEST – Learn With Family & Friends

When learning to drive, practice outside of ordinary driving lessons can help increase confidence and skill, and give the learner driver an opportunity to drive in the presence of different people in different situations. Learning to drive with a family member or a friend can be a rewarding and useful experience, but it can also be quite stressful. To achieve the most out of the extra driving time it is vital that both the learner and the family member or friend work together.

To supervise a learner driver you must be at least 21 and have held a full driving licence for three years.

Due to the increase in traffic, a lot more is expected of both the learner driver and the tutor in modern society. There are many more road, signs, and speed limits, as well as many more cars than when older drivers where learning. Learning to drive can be an intimidating experience, and may well unnerve the assisting family member or friend just as much. Here is some advice for learners and their practice partners to help both of you benefit from this experience.

Your Role:

As the parent/friend/sibling etc of the learner driver, your role primarily is to give them time to practice what they have learned, providing guidance and instruction when they come unstuck. The point to practicing with a family member is to give the learner as much time behind the wheel as possible. What occurs in these practice sessions should reinforce what has been covered by their driving instructor. It is very easy for a learner to pick up bad habits. Their attitude will be reflected in their driving ability and their consideration for other road users. So ensure that you express the correct levels of attention, anticipation and courtesy that are required to create a safe and competent driver. By setting a good example in attitude you will pass on just as significant skills as well the technical capabilities.

Keep Your Bad Habits In Check

It may have been many years since you took your test, so bear in mind that when your child does pass their test they may technically be a better driver than you. Remember the important skills that examiners look for; always check your mirrors, hold the steering wheel correctly, and always, always, indicate.

Plan The Sessions

Together, plan where each driving practice will take you and what manoeuvres you may cover. In the beginning it is better to look for large empty areas like car parks while the learner gets to grips with the car. As they progress onto the road, choose quiet roads first.

Take Your Time

The learner driver will inevitably be nervous, and no doubt so will you. Build up the sessions gradually as you both increase in confidence and get used to each other. Frequent, shorter sessions can be more beneficial than longer sporadic ones.

Don’t Shout

The biggest problem a parent can have helping to teach their child to drive is talking to them naturally. Driving can be a tense experience for the learner, and you want to do everything you can to help them feel confident and in control, not like a naughty child. Driving under the guidance of someone they know can be extra pressure for the learner so be patient and positive. Don’t nag, and if you do feel like shouting, take a break. Tempers will not benefit either party and can undermine the learner’s confidence.

Don’t Take Passengers

Not only will they put off the learner driver, but having someone in the back seat can restrict the learner’s view when looking out the back of the car.

Don’t Overwhelm The Learner Driver

Build up to different settings and manoeuvres as the learner progresses. Making them practice and check everything at once will only leave them bewildered and lead to frustration. Remember that it is all quite new to them and to take things slowly.

Communication Is King

When giving the learner driver instructions, make sure that they understand exactly what you mean to avoid undue stress, and give the driver plenty of time to consider and anticipate the next move. For example, ask to them turn right after the traffic lights, as opposed to saying “turn right now”.

Don’t Just Instruct

If the learner has made a mistake, ask them what they think they did wrong before you point out their error. If they are speeding in a certain area, ask them what they think the speed limit is. It will keep them focused on their surroundings and aware of their actions.

Remain Vigilant

However well the lesson is going and how confident the learner driver seems, they are still inexperienced in the ways of the road. They may not be prepared for sudden changes and so you must be the second pair of eyes.

Help Out Where Necessary

The amount of controls and settings in modern cars can be a little confusing at first, especially as the learner is concentrating so hard on the road. Help out if they get flustered if the windows mist or if they forget to dip the lights, and go through the controls again after the practice if required. Watch out for some of the most common mistakes that new, and particularly, young drivers make:

• Not slowing down in complex road situations
• Not looking around or using mirrors enough
• Overconfidence

After each driving practice, ensure that you spend time discussing the positives and negatives of each session. Always encourage the driver when they have done well, and allow them time to reflect on the areas which didn’t go as well. Don’t clash with what the driving instructor teaches; speak to the instructor and find out if the learner has misinterpreted what the instructor said.

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