NOT getting UK license?

Has anyone made the decision NOT to get the UK driver's license?

We live in a London suburb and have excellent access to mass transit.  Recently we rented a car and I did the driving from here to Nottinghamshire and back (plus a little driving around town) for a holiday.  I did okay, only one wrong turn when exiting a roundabout (the one time the signage WASN'T clear).   But I have so much else going on right now since I home school our daughter, plus the driving was a bit stressful that I get tense just remembering it, that I don't know if I want to go through with it. 

I would love to hear from others with the "been there, done that" experience.  I have until January 2013 to get the provisional, so I have a little time to decide. 

You can get the provisional at any time. There isn't a time limit. But plenty of people have not gotten a UK license. It's up to you.

Sorry ... meant to say "to get the provisional and drive without the usual accessories (like licensed driver and L stickers)".

If you moved in January of this year, you have until January 2013 to get the full license without having to be considered a new driver - not just the provisional. Even if you never plan on getting the full license, you should get a provisional as it's a widely accepted form of identification.

do you want to limit your options?

A UK license is valid in the US for car rental, and eventually your US license will expire. In most states, renewing if not actually resident is illegal.

At some point, if you have a car, and get insurance the first question is 'how long have you held a full UK license?' That answer, among others, will affect your insurance costs.

DW spent a year and 4 failed tests getting her full UK licence and has now not driven in 2 years here because she's afraid to and doesn't like it, she loves driving in the US! At least I guess she has her licence, just wish she could get over this fear she has.

Geeta:  Is a US passport not used valid ID here?  I'm not sure if I want to spend GBP50 for something that will most likely only be a form of ID.

Vadio:  That's my main worry (the limiting of options) but more so about living in and getting around the UK.  Our move to the UK isn't permanent.  We still have the same house in the US (and aren't planning on selling it) and pay taxes and utilities there, stay in it regularly when we return to the US, plus I have two years before the US license expires.   And we don't plan on buying a car here, it's too expensive and frustrating, so probably the only time having a UK license would matter would be if we were hiring a car for holiday within the UK.

TykeMan:  The four failed tests is what I'm most anxious about, surpassed only by the tension of driving out of London and within the small villages (no way would I drive within London unless it's an emergency! ).  Is DW able to get around town and such easily without driving, or are you stuck playing chauffeur in order to get things done?

Of course a passport is valid ID, but most people would rather not carry their passport around every day. Plus a passport does not serve as proof of address, and a provisional does. It is very useful.

I never drove in the UK (nearly four years) and never felt restricted by it. But I also didn't have children.

I didn't get a UK license when I first came over here in 2007.  We were living in London and I didn't need one, and by the time we decided to move out of the city, it'd been over a year.  I drove around for a few months with L plates and a licensed driver in the car.  It felt stupid, as I'd been driving for 20-something years in the US, but those are the rules, so what are you going to do?

I took three or four lessons in order to learn the techniques the way the test examiners expect to see them done.  Passed the test on the first try, and that was it.

I didnt get a licence or drive for the first 10 years i was here...i lived in the city centre and could walk most places. Places that werent walkable were easily accessed by public transport. It wasnt until my ex and i bought a house, and i was forever in interiors shops and garden centres, that i decided to get a car.  I took 10 or 12 lessons and passed my test on the 2nd go.
So depending on your location and lifestyle, driving may not be necessary for you. But i would always recommend at least getting a provisional to use as ID.

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.... (no way would I drive within London unless it's an emergency! ). .....

FWIW, driving in London is pretty easy. It's mindset. I was terrified too at first but once I relaxed, I realised it is not hard at all.

London is congested so no one drives very fast. There are loads of buses and taxis, both of which are manned by professional and polite drivers (for the most part). People are very polite and will let you in and out of lanes.

Good luck with your decision. I did public transport for about 5 months and after having to walk through a flooded underpass with water up to my knees on day, I decided to get my license and a car. I don't regret it one bit.

when I first moved to the UK in 1993, DH had a jag. I hated it because I had always driven small cars. I had been driving in the US for nearly 30 years, but driving in the UK scared me.

So I took a few lessons as others have said, designed to teach me to pass the test. I passed on the first try, and never looked back. In the US, I drove in LA, NYC, Chicago - you name it, I drove there at one time or another. Cities are in many ways easier to navigate than a small town. You want scary? Try driving in the Algarve (Portugal).

Even if you do plan to go back, things have a way of changing. And while you are here, that US license is no good after 12 months. Its £50; you won't regret spending it.

We have a car that we rarely use as we are in-town and can walk practically anywhere. BUT - when we need the car, we have the car so we have a choice.

But at the end of the day, do what you are comfortable with.

TykeMan:  The four failed tests is what I'm most anxious about, surpassed only by the tension of driving out of London and within the small villages (no way would I drive within London unless it's an emergency! ).  Is DW able to get around town and such easily without driving, or are you stuck playing chauffeur in order to get things done?

She just had a bad instructor, he was recommended to her by the owner of our local coffee shop, who had failed 5 times at this point! Once both of them switched they passed! Tell you something about the instructor?! Why would somebody recommend them?!
DW can get around fairly easily, we are a 5 min walk from the town centre, a few mins further to the train station and links to Sheffield and Leeds. Though when she wants to go to the big stores on the edge of town then she's asking me if we can go! We work at the same office location so can car share though as she works shifts she occasionally has to take the train, and given its 2 trains, with me losing my job in 2 months she's looking for somthing closer to home as well as it wouldn't be financially viable for her to make that journey.

I've lived in central London for 10 years now and haven't bothered to get a UK license - my husband drives, and we only bought a car 3 years ago because we were forced to (for medical issues). To be honest, we really only use it once or twice a month, for hauling lumber or big grocery shops, and we now drive to France once a year instead of flying, but I certainly wouldn't say it's necessary in our lives.

I absolutely hated driving in cities in the states and I know I'd be a crap city driver here, too, so why force it and stress myself and everyone else out? I much prefer walking and public transport, personally.

So my attitude is pretty much - if I can't get to it by tube or by walking, I probably don't want to go there anyway.

I was learning to drive just to get my license for work and I did all of my lessons in Central London, driving in London seemed fine to me, quite slow a lot and that was as a complete novice.