The few, the brave - those of us taking driving lessons right now!

This was my problem when I started. And yet, the only comment I got when I finished my test was that (while I passed) I was too cautious and slow on my reverse around a corner.    Sometimes it seems like you really can't win!

 

Oh yikes, I didn't know one can be too slow for the examiner's liking!   That does make it seem like we'll be damned if we do and damned if we don't! At least you passed and it wasn't a failing issue; whew.

About your remark on making all countries take the test -- I'd be for that. As I said in my other post, I agree, driving on UK streets IS a completely different skill than driving in the US. I say it all the time, even though I was a good and experienced driver in the US, I was freaked out on London streets. I could not get by being able to deal with it without having taken the lessons I/m taking or having done the studying I did -- even if there hadn't been a test to take!

I agree totally that anyone intending to drive here, after being used to driving in the US, really does need the "re-learning" experience that having to pass our UK tests forces us into.

Having said that, and agreed with all this.....I still can't help feeling a paradoxical resentment of having to pass the test all over again, while EU drivers have free rein to be here behind their wheels, no test required, feeling probably every bit as freaked out and clueless as we were or are.

They need to take the test if we do -- that's what I'm resenting, not the learning experience -- which I needed here!!   -- but the fact that the test isn't required of other drivers who are probably equally as freaked out by the differences as we are.  

I don't think the problem was that I did it too slow per se, just that I was overly cautious. Basically my instructor had told me that I should stop at any point during the maneuver if traffic started coming from any direction. I took this a little too far on the test, and stopped when there was a car coming, but was still pretty far away. Then, of course, a whole line of traffic followed him so we were stopped for a couple of minutes while all the traffic passed. Ooops!  The instructor even started sighing loudly (he was kind of grumpy anyway). I wasn't sure if I should stop or not when I saw that first car, but figured I would rather be overly cautious than risk it. And it was all fine, since I did pass! It was just a minor.

And the EU swapping issue is scary both ways! We had our car in Brussels while we lived there last year, and the 'priorite a droit' system gave us some scary moments on more than one occasion. And we have friends who moved to Norway, and actually got into an accident fairly quickly after their arrival because of it.

I don't think the problem was that I did it too slow per se, just that I was overly cautious. Basically my instructor had told me that I should stop at any point during the maneuver if traffic started coming from any direction. I took this a little to far on the test, and stopped when there was a car coming, but was still pretty far away. Then, of course, a whole line of traffic followed him so we were stopped for a couple of minutes. Ooops!  The instructor even started sighing loudly (he was kind of grumpy anyway). I wasn't sure if I should stop or not when I saw that first car, but figured I would rather be overly cautious than risk it. And it was all fine, since I did pass! It was just a minor.

Know what you mean about the stream of traffic following that one distant car you wait for -- also, pedestrians! On my first lesson here during a "backwards around a corner", my instructor had to prompt me to move again when I got overly careful about someone walking in the opposite direction!! I wasn't used to pedestrians, period, in my US city, and was trying so hard to be conscious of them here that that day got particularly silly!

Must say, I have to agree with everyone about the need to take lessons here.  I hate like hell that I'm having to start all over again after most of my lifetime driving (very safe record) in the US (Boston area too).  But it is very different and I still don't feel safe in every situation.  Also agree ALL the others should have to take the test too.

Good luck to everyone who's got tests coming up!

Has anyone else done this?  I've done it once with my instructor in the car, and once with DH.  They tell me to take a right turn, and I turn left...because I'm thinking of the UK 'equivalent' to making a right turn in the US (which is a left turn here) rather than literally turning right - not that I don't know right from left.  Just that everything is ass-backwards (just like yankeeangel said!) & so I end up doing that ass-backwards too! 

I didn't have this problem but my husband had it in the US.  For a long time after he moved over there, whenever I told him to turn right or left he would go blank.  Or else he'd think the opposite of what I meant as in "left is the easy turn so this must be left..."  After a while I just quit using those words and would always point and say "turn that way".

Count me as another one who had problems drifting too close to the curb on the passenger side.  My instructor's driver-side seat has a lever at the side that raises the seat and, for whatever reason, sitting a bit higher up really seemed to help. 

I always hated that "reverse around the corner".  But when I had it on my test I aced it.  Who knew?  Now that I have my licence I can all but promise you that I will never be using that pointless party trick in my day-to-day driving.

pointless party trick

 

I know I have mentioned this before, but the biggest piece of advice I have for all of you who are taking the test is practice the actual test routes! We did a lot of the routes during my lessons, but I also made sure to drive each route at least once with my husband (you can print them up off the DSA website) and it was the best thing I could have done. I had him call out the directions just as the examiner would. Luckily, the route I got on the test was one of the last ones on the list that I had practiced just the day before, and it was such a huge advantage to know roughly how the route went, and what the roads were like.

I know I have mentioned this before, but the biggest piece of advice I have for all of you who are taking the test is practice the actual test routes! We did a lot of the routes during my lessons, but I also made sure to drive each route at least once with my husband (you can print them up off the DSA website) and it was the best thing I could have done. I had him call out the directions just as the examiner would. Luckily, the route I got on the test was one of the last ones on the list that I had practiced just the day before, and it was such a huge advantage to know roughly how the route went, and what the roads were like.

I agree completely.

The only bad thing about this was that once my route started I quickly realized that it was one of the routes that involved a junction at the top of a notoriously steep hill.  I had been having nightmares about it, but thankfully didn't stall on the day!

I think there were 12 different possible routes for my test centre. Not sure if that is the same everywhere.

I think there were 12 different possible routes for my test centre. Not sure if that is the same everywhere.

There are 19 for Basingstoke plus 2 extended routes (whatever that means...don't really want to find out)... :\\\'(

There are 19 for Basingstoke plus 2 extended routes (whatever that means...don't really want to find out)... :\\\'(

Oh man!

I think the extended routes are for those who have to re-take the test when you lose your license. So not something to worry about (hopefully ever!)

Either make everyone from a different nation (EU or not) take a test, or not....perhaps enforce perhaps a mandatory course of lessons when switching licences...... but why force a full, start-over re-test on only the US people? Can't help but feel that doesn't add up. 

It doesn't.  Even if they didn't permit a direct swap, they could at least make some concessions - Maybe demand the written test to prove knowledge of road rules & signs but waive the hazard-perception test and practical test for U.S. drivers. 

The reason they don't swap is not because of resistance from the US, it's because US has no national driver's license.

Neither does Canada.  Admittedly they have fewer jurisdictions to deal with, but I wouldn't have thought that striking a deal with just over 50 (including D.C., P.R., etc.) American jurisdictions would be that big a deal.  The government usually thrives on bureaucracy and complexity, so why balk at this task?    It's not just certain European license holders who can swap under EU regulations; several other licenses are exchangeable too: Switzerland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, even South Korea.

I'm starting to get the hang of the whole hand brake at stop light thing, but in my inante ability to do everything ass-backwards, I'm doing it in the wrong order   It's supposed to be hand brake up, then car in neutral, and I kept doing the opposite.

Try doing that in car with manual transmission and a foot-applied parking brake - You need three legs!   

The problem is that this pedantic method is not even necessary.  Examiners have confirmed that there is nothing in the test to demand this overuse of the parking brake, or that you select neutral before applying it.  The requirement is merely to be in full control of the vehicle.  It seems that many instructors have only ever learned to teach this method on the grounds that it's the "approved" method for novice drivers which they believe is the best way to prevent them from rolling etc. 

The problem is that this pedantic method is not even necessary.  Examiners have confirmed that there is nothing in the test to demand this overuse of the parking brake, or that you select neutral before applying it.  The requirement is merely to be in full control of the vehicle.  It seems that many instructors have only ever learned to teach this method on the grounds that it's the "approved" method for novice drivers which they believe is the best way to prevent them from rolling etc. 

Yeap, my driving instructor was constantly harping on me to do it. So I did it during the lessons and until I passed the test. I drove manual in the states and never ever worried about this, I only used it on a very steep hill just to have some bettery control. Immediately upon passing my test, I've gone back to all my bad habits!   

I reverse around the corner all the time.  However, I don't pay attention to being within 1 foot of the curb at all times, with complete round -sweeping execution never crossing onto the right lane, etc, because it offers no value. What offers value is being safe and slow!   BF's brother is going through driving school to become a driving instructor and he cursed at having to learn how to do the reverse around the corner again! 

Neither does Canada.  Admittedly they have fewer jurisdictions to deal with, but I wouldn't have thought that striking a deal with just over 50 (including D.C., P.R., etc.) American jurisdictions would be that big a deal.  The government usually thrives on bureaucracy and complexity, so why balk at this task?   

Paul has this argument every few months and I'm pretty sure that the conclusion is that it's the US states that won't deal with us.

The UK won't exchange licences without a reciprocal agreement; garry has posted his insider knowledge that the party refusing to enter into such an agreement is the US.