bout Brit Drivers Licence...

Heyhey...

Just had a couple of quick Q.'s about obtaining a UK drivers license.

Ive been in london now for 3 months. I arrived here with my US drivers license and an International license issued by my A.A.A. back in the states.
Now i know i can drive in the UK for up to 1 year (more if i leave and come back as i know that will restart the one year policy from when i re-enterd again).... but what i want to know is can i apply directly for a UK license right away ?
BTW i do know how to drive a stick shift..i am just trying to figure out how the red tape works.
Also, how difficult are the tests ? Any advice from someone who has taken the test would be immensley helpfull.

thanks heaps
Zufan

Now i know i can drive in the UK for up to 1 year (more if i leave and come back as i know that will restart the one year policy from when i re-enterd again).... but what i want to know is can i apply directly for a UK license right away ?

Have a look further down this board at http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=6044.0 where there's quite a long discussion on this - more than any one person can write in a response.   I also wrote a "1-2-3" of getting a UK license for USA citizens moving here which I've put on my own web site too at http://www.wellho.net/mouth/5_Driving-in-the-UK-for-new-arrivals-from-the-USA.html which may help.

Let me add a note of caution. I understand that the year is from moving here and does not restart if you leave for a vacation / visit and re-enter, and to drive beyond the year on a USA license could leave you uninsured.

If you're here as a student, you need to wait until you've been here 6 months to start the process; if you've moved for other reasons, you can start the process right away.

Further information ....

Test Pass Rates

You ask about "how hard is the test / experiences".  I'm sure other new experiences will follow this thread (and you'll read in other threads too), but you do need to prepare to drive "the British way" and passing first time is not assured.

The most recent pass rates I can find are:
58% for the theory test (at September 2003)
80% for hazard perception (but they put the pass mark up since)
42.8% for the practical test (April 2003 to March 2004 average)

Pracical pass rate vary wildly from centre to centre - 80% in Inveraray, 29.9% in Hecmondwike, and all figures between.  See: http://www.2pass.co.uk/passrates.htmI

I'm currently studying for the theory test.  I bought the Official Theory Test for Car Drivers and Motorcycles on CD ROM.  I'm kind of using LisaE's method of study where I'm taking the test a lot until I get it.  But there are practice sections which are very helpful.  I've been able to pass the practice tests on the disk about 3 times now, but I'd like to get to where I'm acing it consistently before I actually book the test.

As for the practical, I will probably take a few lessons simply because: -
a)  I haven't driven in nearly 3 years now,
b)  I haven't driven a manual in even longer, and
c)  I definitely will need to have some driving time under my belt before I go take a practical exam (duh).

Best of luck!  This has been a slow process for me, getting my driver's license, because we don't own a car and don't really have any intention to.  We couldn't afford it.  I would, however, like to know that if we change our minds, we can, or that if we want to rent a car for the weekend, or help someone out with the driving on a long trip, that I can. 

It is a very slow process, as well as expensive for lessons.  I recommend that you start it much sooner than you think you will need to.  I have never felt so stupid as I did when I started taking driving lessons here. The instructors here are quite harsh in my expirence. 

Just to add--your year doesn't restart when you leave and enter the UK.  Once you establish residency (i.e., the date on your visa--whatever type it is), your year starts then and ends in 365 days. 

The only exception to this is student visas.  If you came over on, say, January 1, 1999 with a student visa, that'd start one year of being permitted to drive.  If you studied for a semester and came back two years later on January 1, 2001, that'd start another year of being permitted to drive on your US license.

I have never felt so stupid as I did when I started taking driving lessons here. The instructors here are quite harsh in my expirence. 

My instructor is LOVELY.  Search and call around for an instructor you get on with.  But I will agree with the never felt so stupid as when I started taking lessons here. I can't believe how many things are the exact opposite of how we were taught in the states!  Even if you have been driving for 30 years, I highly reccomend taking lessons.

Rosie

I just got my UK license in March and it was the greatest feeling...before i took any lessons..i drove around in hubbys car for quite a while to get comfortable with the opposite side of the road and steering wheel change, etc.  my instructor was great as well.  I found the theory test easy - as long as you study the book/cd its a piece of cake...the hazard i was a bit nervous about but there is a video you can buy to help prepare you....

best of luck with your lessons/test..it was one of the best things to pass the test...take care

Thanks heaps for all the advice

Zufan

Biggest hurdle for me was finding a driving instructor who would teach me how to pass the test, not necessarily how to drive! Broke a few bad habits (and who doesn't have them after many years driving- my hubby is the worst! If he had to retake the test now, he'd probably fail!)......passed on the first time too

In my experience, driving in UK tends to be faster and more agressive.

Thanks a Mill yoo guys...

Zufan
PS i have since discoverd that if you dont have someone that can sign the back of your photo for the provisional license, you can go to their " DMV " office and the authoroties there can actually sign it for you...therby relieving you of the burden of having to find someone to sign the photo ( even when you might not yet have been here for 2 years )....go figure.

Zufan

What do they look at as your date of entry?  I received my Fiance Visa in June of 2003 but then got my FLR in Sept. 2003 right after I married my Englishman.  Can I get my provisional license since I'm past the year courtesy time and if so, do I then get another year to drive with hubby with me or am I not allowed to drive at all until I pass my test?  Sorry, don't mean to be thick but this confuses me a bit!

Also, someone mentioned the DL for a motorbike...does that not require a test then?  I might want to get a Vespa type bike until I'm legally on the road again.

Thanks,

Sandy

Your "year of grace" will have started from the date you moved to the UK on you Fiance Visa - late June / Early July 2003?  The only way you would get a year from a later date is if you moved from the UK to another country (and not just a holiday or a new Visa, I'm afraid) and then came back here.

With a provisional license, you're allow to drive, supervised by a driver who must have held his/her  full license for - I think - three years  Has hubby driven for that long?  You would be required to have "L" plates on the car and would not be allowed to drive on Motorways.  If your "year of grace" has expired and you don't yet have a provisional license, I don't think you're legally allowed to drive at all.

For a motor cycle, you must complete a compulsory basic training before you're allowed on the road on a provisional license.  You'll need to drive with "L" plates, be limited to 125cc, not be allowed to carry a pillion passenger, but you will be able to travel on your own.

See http://www.dvla.gov.uk for more details (but it is somethimes hard to work out what's what)!

Thanks Graham...think I've got it now.  In others words, I better not drive anymore!  Shoot...oh well, if anything could motivate me to get moving on getting my license, this is it! :\\\'(