american driver's license in the UK- how long does it last?

Dear All;  forgive me if this information has been asked and answered, but if you could point me in the right direction for the information I need it would be appreciated - I am here in the Uk on a Fiance's visa- arrived June1 - will apply for a spouse's visa as soon as we are leagally wed in the registrar's office.  QUESTION -How long will my Texas Driver's license last over here- it expires in 2011?  Is it a year from my date of arrival under my visa? If it is a year- would you recommend starting the process of taking the test now?  FYI- I have no problems driving here as I have been doing so on and off for about 10 years.  But want to be proper and legal and all that stuff.  Thanks for your time, Lee 

You have 1 year from the date you entered to use your US license.  During this 1 year, it is recommended that you start "learning" how to drive in the UK, so that you can take the tests.

bvamin

Yep as has been said you have a year to take and pass both the theory and practical tests. I'd suggest lessons so you can get the UK spcific things down pat.Basically the instructor will help you learn how to pass the UK test.
I too had been driving in both the US for years and also here in the UK..
Wasn't until i admitted i needed a instructors help that i finally passed the practical part.. took me.. i think 4 times to pass.. thats a lot of £££..
Kaylesh

Actually, on the fiancee visa (Yellow and Blue) you can drive as much as you like.  Once you get your Residence Permit (Red and Blue) you can drive until one year from the start of the Residince Permit.

As an aside, can anyone recommend what to do in this situation...do I:

a) keep my NY license, get a UK provisional license and take the test so I can keep my NY license (costs whatever a provisional license costs)

or

b) just take the test and surrender my NY license (free)

can I butt in and add a quick question re driving liscenses? My 16 yo daughter wants to know if she will be allowed to drive as she has a liscence here in the US but isnt the age different there? so she wouldnt be allowed to drive there yet?

Hmmm that's a good question.  You might want to contact the DVLA directly about that specific question. 

www.dvla.gov.uk

Does a US license cover both manual and automatic transmissions? My NC license does not stipulate one or the other but I've been told in the UK it is stipulated. I've always owned manuals so I'm proficient with that. Guess over there it would take some geeting used to with the shift being on my other side...what about the pedals? Are they in the same position (clutch on left, brake in middle, gas on right)?

Does a US license cover both manual and automatic transmissions? My NC license does not stipulate one or the other but I've been told in the UK it is stipulated. I've always owned manuals so I'm proficient with that. Guess over there it would take some geeting used to with the shift being on my other side...what about the pedals? Are they in the same position (clutch on left, brake in middle, gas on right)?

If you pass your UK test on an automatic, then it is only legal for you to drive an automatic. I think if you pass on a manual, then you can drive both. I did mine on an automatic. Not sure about where the pedals are on a manual, though.

The U.K. license indicates whether the pass was for a manual or automatic transmission.  If the latter, you're restricted to driving automatics only.  On a manual license you can drive either.

Guess over there it would take some geeting used to with the shift being on my other side...what about the pedals? Are they in the same position (clutch on left, brake in middle, gas on right)?

Yes, same positions, so you don't have to re-learn that!        

You won't find many foot-applied parking brakes as are fitted to many U.S. cars though, although I believe that Mercedes-Benz uses them on some models.   

The centrally located hand lever between the front seats has been the standard parking brake location for many years here.   If you go in for classic (1960s or older) cars you might find the brake lever to the right of the driver's seat or under the dash though.  One or two of the prestige models (e.g. some Jaguars, if I recall correctly) also retained an underdash hand-operated parking brake until more recently.

Don't expect to find column shift either for either auto or manual transmissions.  It was never as common as in the States, and has been totally extinct here for about 35 years.   (If you're used to driving models with a floor-shift anyway, that shouldn't be a problem.)

The gear pattern isn't reversed for right-hand drive by the way, i.e. 1st and 2nd are to the left, 3rd and 4th to the right (reverse, as always, could be almost anywhere on floor shift).

Thanks, Paul, I was freakin' wondering how different it would be. Column shifts have been pretty obsolete here for many years even though I learned on a column shift (dating myself, I guess). Parking brakes are usually hand levers on manuals here. I don't think I'll have difficulty adapting to the shift being on my left but I was really anxious about the pedal positions. You've eased my mind.

Yeah, U.S. cars seem to have become much more Europeanized in recent years.  You might have gathered that I'm something of a classic car lover, so my experience with late-model cars is more limited  (my newest vehicle at the moment is a Chevy camper dating from 1980, which of course still has all the traditional American layout: Column shift, foot-applied parking brake, headlamp dimmer on the floor, etc.)

By the way, the turn signal switch is on the left of the column on some models here and the right on others.  As most modern vehicles have the wipers on a column stalk on the opposite side, you might find yourself hitting the wipers by mistake!

Traditionally, older British cars always had the turn switch on the right.   These days it seems to be mostly the Japanese models which keep it there; the European models generally have it on the left.

You'll also find that on many cars the horn is a button on the end of the turn lever instead of being on the wheel.  I'm not sure if that idea has started to appear in the U.S. yet.   Personally, I like the horn on the steering wheel where it belongs! 

Yeah, U.S. cars seem to have become much more Europeanized in recent years. You might have gathered that I'm something of a classic car lover, so my experience with late-model cars is more limited (my newest vehicle at the moment is a Chevy camper dating from 1980, which of course still has all the traditional American layout: Column shift, foot-applied parking brake, headlamp dimmer on the floor, etc.)

By the way, the turn signal switch is on the left of the column on some models here and the right on others. As most modern vehicles have the wipers on a column stalk on the opposite side, you might find yourself hitting the wipers by mistake!

Traditionally, older British cars always had the turn switch on the right. These days it seems to be mostly the Japanese models which keep it there; the European models generally have it on the left.

You'll also find that on many cars the horn is a button on the end of the turn lever instead of being on the wheel. I'm not sure if that idea has started to appear in the U.S. yet. Personally, I like the horn on the steering wheel where it belongs!

 

Yeah, this'll be an adventure...I'll be washing my windows in the rain, tooting at every corner and generally making an idiot out of myself! 

BTW, I learned to drive on a 1962 Ford Galaxie...three-on-the-column, no power anything, draft windows, light dimmer on the floor...the whole works! Manual AC (roll your windows!) and only AM radio! The family bomb!

Being left handed, the shift actually feels better to me here in the UK.  Once you get used to using the hand brake, you'll never go back!  It's so much more practical on hills. 
 

BTW, I learned to drive on a 1962 Ford Galaxie...three-on-the-column, no power anything, draft windows, light dimmer on the floor...the whole works! Manual AC (roll your windows!) and only AM radio! The family bomb!

Now that's my kind of car!        I have a tape full of old car commercials, including one or two for the Galaxie (and even Bing Crosby advertising the Thunderbird!). 

A few older British cars had a 3-speed manual transmission, but 4-speed was pretty much the norm here by the early 1960s.    The 3-speed transmission was far more practical on American cars with their much bigger engines.

By the way, one more difference in terminology to learn:  The headlight dimmer is called a "dipswitch" here, and the low beams are often called "dipped beam."

Automobiles is one field in which British and American terminology vary quite widely:  trunk/boot, hood/bonnet, muffler/silencer, fender/wing, etc.

what happens if you have been driving in the UK on your US liscense longer that 1 year?  are their penalties?