Being driven round the bend in my quest to get a UK license!

This post may belong in another section since it is a rant and very little more, but as the rant is about getting a UK driver's license this seemed appropriate.

After the initial shock about how difficult it would be to live in the UK, I believe I've taken most of the visa steps in stride - not without copious amounts of anxiety perhaps, but at least a semblance of acceptance (note: I have not looked back in my posts which would probably prove the above statement to be a bold faced lie - but I'll stick with it until proven otherwise.  ).  However, the quest to obtain a UK driver's license has me feeling like an adolescent all over again, while I grouse about how unfair the entire system is - complete with pouting, fist banging, foot stomping, and all around immature behavior.      (I really need a "hair pulling" emoticon, but that one will have to do since I don't see one of those.)

I only wish I still had the quick reflexes and body flexibility of an adolescent..... 

Frankly, driving over here scares the 'h' 'e' double toothpicks out of me, which means I've avoided practicing as much as I should have done.  Also my mostly sweet husband turns somewhat less sweet when I'm in the driver's seat of his beloved car (at least in my opinion, he thinks I'm over reacting - ha!).  I think roundabouts were created by the devil, and it only makes it worse that no two seem to be alike....

I despise roundabouts!     

I mean... really!... California has gotten by without them and everyone drives perfectly safely there.... *cough*.... Okay, I can't even write that with a straight face. 

I've passed the theory and hazard perception, and I've been taking lessons (about 15 so far) with a lovely instructor who is sure I'll get there eventually.  Unfortunately, we agreed I wouldn't be ready to take the practical test on the 16th of this month as previously scheduled, so it's delayed until the first part of November (Just you watch!  The blizzard of the century will descend upon the northeast of England that day.    ).

I just can't seem to get it!  The more relaxed about it I get (and this is a relative thing since I'm nowhere near relaxed) the more I fall back into driving patterns developed over my 40 years of driving in the US (other than the right side of the road thing of course).  On top of that it seems I can only hold so many thoughts at one time, because I keep forgetting important things like checking mirrors, not riding the clutch, putting on the hand brake, etc. etc.  I can do all those things - I drove a stick for most of my life in the US for heaven's sake - I just keep forgetting!!! GAH!

Soooooo, now for the adolescent rant part (Oh, I'll bet you thought I was already doing that huh? Nope, that was the warm up! ).  Why do US drivers have to go back to square one when EU drivers get to simply exchange their old one for a perfectly legitimate UK license?!?  You can't tell me they are better at adjusting to the left side driving than US drivers, or that they drive more safely than US drivers - some do and some don't.  So why, why, why, OH WHY!, do I have to take this stupid test? 

Now my rant is over, and I sincerely thank the 1.5 of you that read that tirade from start to finish.  And in case you are wondering, I do know that I need to pull up my big girl panties and just do it because life ain't fair and all that....  *big sigh*

...but it was really nice getting it off my chest anyway. 

Yeah, jumping through the hoops does suck.  I just got back from Greece and thought many times, "and why don't they have to take the UK driving test if they move?!"

Finding the right instructor is key.  Try to relax and learn.  Remember, you KNOW how to drive.  You just have to learn to pass the test.

Not sure that I should admit it, but I actually love the roundabout!  Once you figure out the design, they are truly smart things.  If you are in the correct lane as you enter, you should spit out exactly where you want to be.

Hang in there.  Think how good it'll feel to pass!

Not sure that I should admit it, but I actually love the roundabout!  Once you figure out the design, they are truly smart things.  If you are in the correct lane as you enter, you should spit out exactly where you want to be.

Hang in there.  Think how good it'll feel to pass!

*looking askance at KFdancer*

Hmmmmm, I'm not sure I'll ever get that comfortable with those round beasts with multiple lanes.  But I am willing to admit that with more experience, maybe, just maybe I'll grow to hate them a little bit less... 

You are so right about how good it will feel to pass that test. I think that's the part that bothers me the most - having to wait another couple of months to have it checked off my 'to do' list.  Unfortunately it really doesn't make sense to take it now, I can tell I'm not quite there yet - but I will be! 

You know why US drivers can't just exchange their licences? As I understand it, It has nothing to do with safety, it's do to with reciprocal agreements between countries.

Because the US has different licensing laws for each state, they can't offer a universal reciprocal licence-exchange scheme with the UK. Therefore because UK drivers can't automatically exchange their licences in the US (each state is different), US drivers can't exchange their licences for UK ones either.


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I got my US license at age 16 after doing the 'driver education' class in school, as required in NC. That was in 1963.

In 1993 when I first moved to the UK, the test was a bit different - no written test, just a few oral questions after the road test. I had 6 lessons and from the very first minute my instructor said "you know how to drive; I'm not teaching you to drive, I'm teaching you how to pass the test."

That's exactly what we did - maneuvers along the streets that were typically used, in the places I would likely be told to do this or that. I simply concentrated on what he told me to do, and passed with no problems.

As an aside, my Driver's Ed instructor in the US told us all to forget everything we had seen our parents do, because they likely had some bad habits that we shouldn't copy. His job was to teach us to drive safely and correctly. I can still hear some things he told me NOT to do, despite watching my parents continue to do those very things.

I also hated roundabouts, and still wonder why it isn't necessary to come to a full stop at some intersections. But I learned to accept that's the way it is, and never mind what I thought I knew.

When we lived in the US, my husband didn't take lessons, but he had to go through the entire process to get a Virginia license - written test, signs, road test...and he was 60, and had been driving for 43 years!

It's a pain in the patoot, but a minor pain in the grand scheme of things. You will get through it!

I have a theory on roundabouts. They are, I think, almost a perfect design - practical as all get out and very elegant. Up to a point. Once traffic volume hits a certain level they quit working. Without the control of a light, decisions are left up to individuals, and even if all the individuals work for the common good....that added pause-decision time locks everything up.

With a traffic light system, as long as some a-hat doesn't block the intersection....things can continue to function. Of course you end up stopped sometimes for no apparent reason, so there is a trade-off.

Because the US has different licensing laws for each state, they can't offer a universal reciprocal licence-exchange scheme with the UK. Therefore because UK drivers can't automatically exchange their licences in the US (each state is different), US drivers can't exchange their licences for UK ones either.

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I do remember reading about that.... but you are applying logic to a tirade that has nothing to do with logic.  Think two year old having a hissy fit and you've pretty much got my attitude nailed. 

I got my US license at age 16 after doing the 'driver education' class in school, as required in NC. That was in 1963.

In 1993 when I first moved to the UK, the test was a bit different - no written test, just a few oral questions after the road test. I had 6 lessons and from the very first minute my instructor said "you know how to drive; I'm not teaching you to drive, I'm teaching you how to pass the test."

That's exactly what we did - maneuvers along the streets that were typically used, in the places I would likely be told to do this or that. I simply concentrated on what he told me to do, and passed with no problems.

As an aside, my Driver's Ed instructor in the US told us all to forget everything we had seen our parents do, because they likely had some bad habits that we shouldn't copy. His job was to teach us to drive safely and correctly. I can still hear some things he told me NOT to do, despite watching my parents continue to do those very things.

It's a pain in the patoot, but a minor pain in the grand scheme of things. You will get through it!

This is the part I find frustrating - but, to be honest, I'm frustrated with myself more than anything.  I know I'm learning how to pass the test, I used to tell my 5th graders the same thing when we did practice tests (I wasn't much in favor of those either, but that's another subject altogether).  I didn't think it would be all that difficult to learn the maneuvers and driving skills necessary to pass the test - although I did know the UK test is more stringent than that found in most US states.  My brain is not cooperating!  It keeps having brain farts (5th grade term that is actually pretty accurate in explaining the phenomena  ) that cause me to do the most idiotic things - like making a right turn into the left hand lane (okay, that doesn't happen so much anymore - but the speed at which my instructor grabbed the steering wheel was pretty funny... if I hadn't felt so embarassed) - classic brain fart!

More seriously, thank you, you are absolutely right, I will get there eventually and this will all be behind me.  And the experience will make for some great stories to tell my grandkids! 

I have a theory on roundabouts. They are, I think, almost a perfect design - practical as all get out and very elegant. Up to a point. Once traffic volume hits a certain level they quit working.

That's a good point.  Evidently there is a roundabout in Norfolk somewhere that has so many lanes people have been known to pass out from lack of food and water whilst trying to get to the proper lane for their exit!  It's true!!!  My husband said so.... 

A very good friend of mine lives outside Philadelphia in New Jersey, and over the years I've visited her they have been doing away with roundabout (very few are left in her area).  Unfortunately they've been replaced with systems far more clunky and annoying than the roundabouts were.  When people are involved there is no such thing as a perfect system.

As I write this, I've been thinking about what ksand said.....  I think I'll write Jerry Brown and see if he'll work up a reciprocal agreement between California and the UK just so I don't have to take the test after all.  Perfect solution!! ! 

I'm a fan of roundabouts......up to that same saturation point mentioned. Here in Harrogate the Empress roundabout is a mess in heavy traffic. People getting stuck in the middle with no way off......and then accidentally blocking other people from getting on etc etc. Luckily....being retired I can "usually" avoid these times of the day. Harrogate traffic really sucks.

I just started working on the "Driving Test Success" DVD......multi choice shouldn't be a problem. Today I just started the Hazard perception part......either the DVD has issues or I need Ninja training. The first one I got 4 of 5 and I thought....."not sure why I even missed one point, but what the heck...close enough".  Second one I got 0 of 5.....huh? I clicked in plenty of time I thought on a couple of potential issues. It gives you a choice of reviewing which I thought might tell me what I did wrong. Nope. It records your clicks for the review(but no other info) and I sat there still wondering how I could have did it better....yet no points. Anybody else had this issue? I took one more with only getting one or two points.......and even with reviewing the video I don't see how I could have done much/any better.

What I've read is you can click too early as well as too late. So You have to figure out when you are supposed to click. Fun, right?

What I've read is you can click too early as well as too late. So You have to figure out when you are supposed to click. Fun, right?

That's what I thought. Getting 4 of 5 on the first one I just thought I was off on the timing of something. Getting 0 of 5 means I fell asleep and I'm now in a ditch somewhere. From the explanation if you click really really really nice and early you get full points for that hazard. Then it gets downgraded until you get nothing for missing it completely or you click when you are about to run someone over. No explanation of why you aren't getting points.....but I guess at some point you can do these video's over and I can experiment with clicking all over the place to see how many points it gives me. Hopefully at some point there will be a pattern. So far I was afraid to take more than 3 just in case there was some explanation of why I did fine with the first one.....and then zip and near zip on the next ones. Even reviewing the video I thought I clicked just fine and with plenty of time before the points start going away.

I'm a fan of roundabouts......up to that same saturation point mentioned. Here in Harrogate the Empress roundabout is a mess in heavy traffic. People getting stuck in the middle with no way off......and then accidentally blocking other people from getting on etc etc. Luckily....being retired I can "usually" avoid these times of the day. Harrogate traffic really sucks.

I just started working on the "Driving Test Success" DVD......multi choice shouldn't be a problem. Today I just started the Hazard perception part......either the DVD has issues or I need Ninja training. The first one I got 4 of 5 and I thought....."not sure why I even missed one point, but what the heck...close enough".  Second one I got 0 of 5.....huh? I clicked in plenty of time I thought on a couple of potential issues. It gives you a choice of reviewing which I thought might tell me what I did wrong. Nope. It records your clicks for the review(but no other info) and I sat there still wondering how I could have did it better....yet no points. Anybody else had this issue? I took one more with only getting one or two points.......and even with reviewing the video I don't see how I could have done much/any better.

That's why we told you to order the DVD.  The art of the click is infuriating!

That's why we told you to order the DVD.  The art of the click is infuriating!

The Art of the Click......I like that. Wonder if I can get a black belt in that.....at least I wouldn't need to stretch/be flexible.

The Art of the Click......I like that. Wonder if I can get a black belt in that.....at least I wouldn't need to stretch/be flexible.

I had a similar experience when I started with that DVD, but with lots of practice I learned how to do it - in other words, I learned how to pass that test.  Hmmmm, that sounds familiar.... 

When you are done taking a practice test go to the screen where there are several categories along the left side (make sure it says Hazard Perception at the top).  Choose 'review clip bank' then under viewing mode select 'detailed view'.  You'll see a list of all the clips you've already  done - each one is in a rectangular box and you can scroll up and down the boxes to reach a specific clip you want to review.  Select 'show performance breakdown' then 'review clip' and you'll see the video clip again, but with all sorts of information about what the hazard (or hazards) were, when to click for the most points, and when your clips were made - really helpful!  It's easy to freeze the screen and move back and forth through it if you want to see a certain part again.

Hope this helps. 

OK....now for a little more whining. Getting used to the clicking......but either my wife's daughters computer is crap, or the video on the DVD is crap. The quality is so low I can't see turn signals/brake lights/pedestrians etc until I get close.....and of course I get hammered with low marks. Sure hope the resolution is decent when taking the test.

OK....now for a little more whining. Getting used to the clicking......but either my wife's daughters computer is crap, or the video on the DVD is crap. The quality is so low I can't see turn signals/brake lights/pedestrians etc until I get close.....and of course I get hammered with low marks. Sure hope the resolution is decent when taking the test.

No, you're right, the quality is not great or my eyesight is lacking too.  I think I've mentioned the rocks on the side of the road that suddenly became sheep (no points for me on that one!), and the man who jumped out from nowhere at a zebra crossing who was dressed in signal pole camouflage.  Scared the 'you know what' out of me!   

The good news is the resolution for the actual test is vastly better.