Driving in the UK

Driving issues (roundabouts, getting your UK license, driving on the left, ....) are now part of the remit of the "Travel and Transport" section.

Thought it would be fun to start with a totally non-scientific survey to give us all an idea of just how many folks do drive here, how many don't, and so on.

This is my first poll - I hope it works (and I hope you - yes I mean YOU READING THIS - will vote )

I have my provisional license,, but have gone thru two instuctors, and am in doubt about learning how to drive stick here  :-/  I have about decided to take lessons from a female school that I heard about in the area, and train to take the test in an automatic,, which is all I would want to drive here anyway..

Don't drive in the US, so presumably won't drive in the UK if/when I live there

I have my provisional license,, but have gone thru two instuctors, and am in doubt about learning how to drive stick here  :-/  I have about decided to take lessons from a female school that I heard about in the area, and train to take the test in an automatic,, which is all I would want to drive here anyway..

I haven't gotten my provisional yet but will do soon. Have you tried going to a place like BSM? My husband went there and just passed his test this past Autumn and they have a simulation machine there to practise changing gears without the fear of being in an actual car. I plan on doing that as I haven't driven stick in  ages and I pretty much stank at it then too.  :-/

I am very much worried about driving manual here but hubby won't even consider getting an automatic.  :'(

Lynne, I signed up for a package deal with AA, for an initial 20 hours. They hire contract driving instructors, and I have not had good luck with the two different ones I have had with them. One would yell at me as I drove, which was very stressful, and the other while he was better,, would grab the steering wheel while I would be driving. ICK

I thought about BSM , but they are just so expensive. I feel that for me to learn to drive stick to the point where I am confident enough to pass the driving test, I would have to have more hours of  lessons than I can afford. Also, as I don't have a current driving license in the states anymore, I want to be able to lease a car when I am there to visit, so I feel the pressure of a time crunch.

One thing to note,, you can take the test in an automatic, and even tho you can't drive alone in a standard shift car, you can continue to learn to drive in it without worrying about the time after taking your theory test running out. They give you two years after taking the theory/hazard perception test to pass your practical in standard shift,, but I think I need a whole lot of practice before taking the test in standard.

My hubby is against me taking the test in automatic as well, but he's not the one who is dependant on others to drive them around when I visit the states  :-/

I am visiting in the states and every time I get ready to leave my step dad says, "remember to drive on the right". Today he made a joke about remembering to drive on the left when I get back. Not that funny - had to be there. I don't tell good jokes either  :-/

Very interesting voting - thank you everyone who's voted so far. I'll leave the poll open for another two days - until Tuesday evening - then I'll close it and summarise.

If you've not votes yet, please do!!

Thanks for all your votes everyone ...

Our totally unscientific sample   shows that you think "going native is best" ... not one of you who is driving in the UK is driving an automatic - I admit that surprised me.

Hope that none of you who isn't yet driving in the UK had a test scheduled for today - I understand that 5000 tests were cancelled due to a strike .... goodness - I hadn't realised just how many driving tests were taken!

It's many years since I took my driving tests - I won't say when or I'll give my age away.  I took first an automatic test, then one on a motor byke, then one in a manual car.   And with each, they got easier as I got more practised.  And driving gets easier year by year as I drive on the left and the right, with a left and a right hand drive car (not necessarily in the right combinations) and with automatic and stick shift.  So for those of you who don't yet have your full UK licenses - good luck;  it may turn out to be easier than you think, and you'll certainly find that driving in the UK gets easier and easier as you get more and more used to it!