Advice for Teaching my Wife to Drive?

My wife has just very recently been approved for a spousal visa and will be moving here in October, so we're currently in the process of realising that we have a billion things to sort out.

One of the main ones is driving. I live out in the country, so it would be super useful if we could both drive since the public transport is kinda naff unless you enjoy a 2 hour bus journey to travel around 10 miles.

So... few questions:

• My understanding is that she can drive on her Washington licence for 12 months after arrival?
• If, during those 12 months, she applies for a provisional licence, and books theory and practical tests, is it still 12 months?
• If she fails a driving test, is the 12-month window void?
• She's never driven a manual in her life. I was thinking about doing what we all used to do: Tesco car park after-hours. Or should we try something different since she technically knows how to drive already
• On that subject... spouse or professional instructor? Who's the preferred teaching candidate?

Any other tips that might be useful for me?

My wife has just very recently been approved for a spousal visa and will be moving here in October, so we're currently in the process of realising that we have a billion things to sort out.

One of the main ones is driving. I live out in the country, so it would be super useful if we could both drive since the public transport is kinda naff unless you enjoy a 2 hour bus journey to travel around 10 miles.

So... few questions:

• My understanding is that she can drive on her Washington licence for 12 months after arrival?
• If, during those 12 months, she applies for a provisional licence, and books theory and practical tests, is it still 12 months?
• If she fails a driving test, is the 12-month window void?
• She's never driven a manual in her life. I was thinking about doing what we all used to do: Tesco car park after-hours. Or should we try something different since she technically knows how to drive already
• On that subject... spouse or professional instructor? Who's the preferred teaching candidate?

Any other tips that might be useful for me?

1-Yes
2-She has to pass her theory and practical tests before the year is up or she will be treated as a learner driver.
3-No, she still has the 12 months.
4-She can drive an automatic if she doesn't want to tackle a manual, a lot of our members do. Apparently automatics are more widely available than they used to be. Just be aware that if she sits her test in an automatic then she would be restricted to driving an automatic. She would have to take the test again to upgrade to a manual licence.
5-WIthout a doubt I would go with a professional. She's not learning how to drive, she will be learning how to pass her test which is a whole different thing. Nothing wrong with her getting some extra practice with you in the car but definitely get lessons for her.

Get started on this as soon as possible, it can take a while to book the tests and the year will go by quickly.

Just want to second the choice for a professional. I am in the same boat never touched a manual vehicle in my life. My husband realized quickly that he would rather I stall the instructors car than his baby.

Also make sure you like the instructor you find. I had 8 hours of lessons with a instructor that was recommended to me by family but I didn’t actually feel comfortable with. Dreaded having the lessons. Found another one myself and absolutely love her. You don’t always mesh well with everyone and some instructors are very picky about how you drive. She will need a bit of patience getting used to changing over to a manual vehicle on the other side of the road on the other side of the car.

Through the lessons I have determined that a manual car is not for me. I am still aiming to take the test in a manual vehicle just so I have the option to drive my husbands car. I purchased an adorable little automatic that takes me to and from work! Now I’m much more comfortable driving in the UK I just need to work on my clutch control .


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We’re doing both spouse and professional. My husband got me over the initial bit of “ahh I’ve never driven a manual before” nerves. I have an instructor lined up for next week but we’ve been speaking by email for a month so I feel like I know him already lol.

There are tons of instructors around if she doesn’t get along with the first one. She probably won’t need many lessons if she picks it up quickly. It’s just learning exactly how DVLA want you to drive in the exam. Which is not how most everyone actually drives here lol.

It’s just learning exactly how DVLA want you to drive in the exam. Which is not how most everyone actually drives here lol. Which is not how anyone ever actually drives here!

FIFY! 

If you value your marriage, use an instructor.   

As everyone has said - she knows how to drive.  She just needs to learn to pass the test.  If my husband tried to tell me how to drive.... well, we wouldn't be happily married with two kids.   

FIFY! 

  LOL

Hiya.....I’ll be moving to Scotland in February and I’ve been stressing about driving in the u.k also.  I agree with everyone about getting your wife an automatic car.....would make life so much easier.  What has helped me a lot has been watching mock driving tests for the u.k on utube.  I’ve really learned a lot by watching them.  And it seems that the whole idea of having an instructor is not to really teach you how to drive....but more how to pass the test.  From what I’ve surmised so far....they will fail you for everything and anything.....lol.  The mock tests are quite interesting to watch....hopefully the link I add at the end will work because this persons teaching is really great....and he treats it like a real test but he shows how strict they really are. 

In one mock test....young guy was starting to drive up a street.....cars parked on other side of road, his side was clear....he starts driving.....Jeep coming at him doesn’t give him right of way even though he had it......young guy had to reverse 10 feet to let Jeep through.....even though he had the right of way....automatic failure for lack of attention and awareness

Another mock test....older man in his 40’s....had previously had a drivers license I believe or had done lessons years before.....anyway......was doing great and they went into a shopping center lot to do parking.....when exiting the lot....had to stop at exit to wait for road to be clear.....because his car rolled back and there were pedestrians near by.......automatic failure.....no one was behind his car when it rolled back....they were 10 feet away....

Another one....person waiting for light with a fire truck in front of them....they wanted to turn and weren’t sure of the signals because they were blocked by fire truck....lights turned and they hesitated....car behind them honked.....they got failed because of hesitation and impeding the car behind them....

So maybe watching some of these could help your wife.  I also found some videos on roundabouts that I found very helpful.  Especially the one that said to think of a roundabout  like a clock.....so you know which lane to be in.....

Anyway....hope that was helpful.....and the link works.....I’ve been driving since 1988 and have yet to have an accident or be given a ticket......originally from Canada but have been living the last 17 years in Hawaii.....and watching these videos and the silly things that they will fail you for has inspired me to get my Canadian drivers license back after I leave the states....I’ll be in Canada for 12 days before I move to Scotland ....so I don’t have to go through all that because my Canadian license is reciprocal with the u.k one.....but I am still planning on taking some driving lessons with a professional over there before I really start to drive.....my cousins granddaughter had nothing but great things to say about her instructor  and she passed on her first try.....

Someone once described it thus:

Passing your driving test in the USA is like taking Driving 101; passing your driving test in the UK is like getting your Driving PhD.

because his car rolled back and there were pedestrians near by.......automatic failure.....no one was behind his car when it rolled back....they were 10 feet away....

Yeah. They really don't like you rolling back in any circumstances (especially hill starts) since it shows a lack of control of the vehicle.

One great tip my instructor told me was that before your test, put your three mirrors slightly askew, so you have to move your head to see what you want to see. Otherwise you can often just flick your eyes up/across and they mightn't notice.

I'll definitely look into finding an instructor for her then. Has anyone here had a bad/weird experience with male instructors? There've been a fair few horror stories making the news lately and I'm wondering if we might be better off looking for a female... My wife might have a preference anyway, so I'm just information gathering.

Not sure about the automatic though. I'm hoping she'll pass in a manual since then she can drive anything and it won't be an issue with rentals, family vehicles, company cars etc...

One great tip my instructor told me was that before your test, put your three mirrors slightly askew, so you have to move your head to see what you want to see. Otherwise you can often just flick your eyes up/across and they mightn't notice.

That is a great tip!  I wish I'd known about it when I was learning to pass my test.  I did try to make an exaggerated effort to check my mirrors, but that would've forced me to do it, and certainly would've been a lot more obvious.

I definitely recommend a professional driving instructor.  As has been mentioned, it's not about driving - it's about driving the the correct way to pass the exam which is a very specific way that will be forgotten as soon as you pass.  No one drives like that in real life.

The instructor will be able to provide tips specific to passing the exam, and will likely spot a few bad habits to keep an eye on.  I think that when you're an experienced driver, it's actually more difficult in a sense because you've had years of accumulating driving habits that may be detrimental to your score from the point of view of the examiner.

Also, don't be deterred if you need to shop around for instructors.  If it isn't quite working, try another instructor.  Different people, teaching styles, etc.  An instructor you really gel with is totally worth it.  My instructor was male, and I had absolutely no problems.  He was professional and friendly, and there wasn't any awkwardness.  If she prefers to have a female instructor, that's totally fine, but from my limited experience, a male instructor can be just fine.  (my instructor had immigrated to the UK several years prior as his wife was British; we swapped visa stories while practising!) 

Someone once described it thus:

Passing your driving test in the USA is like taking Driving 101; passing your driving test in the UK is like getting your Driving PhD.

I wouldn't say that.

Passing the test in the USA is showing you know how to drive and follow the rules of the road.

Passing the test in the UK is showing you can pass a massive test in bureaucracy and anal-retentiveness.  At least they've changed the test recently to be more meaningful and not having some of the *very* outdated whacky things (reversing around a corner has been replaced with reversing into a parking bay for example).  And the following the satnav bit is a step in the right direction.

Honestly, don't stress about manual versus automatic.  Let that be her decision.  Moving countries is enough of a stress-er to not throw that into the mix.I think you'll find that an automatic only license doesn't affect her day-to-day life and really isn't a big deal.  My husband and I both have full licenses but at this point, we both drive automatics.  It seems very rare that I get into anyone else's vehicle these days and it *is* a manual.

If you value your marriage, use an instructor.   

As everyone has said - she knows how to drive.  She just needs to learn to pass the test.  If my husband tried to tell me how to drive.... well, we wouldn't be happily married with two kids.   

Literally came here to say this! I was far too stressed when my husband would try to "teach me to drive" and I too hadn't driven manual really before moving over here. The best thing I did was get a driving instructor!!


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Go with a pro. Seriously.

Also, on the USA driving license: yes, in the UK you can drive on a valid foreign license for up to 12 months. Note the word "valid" - in some states, once your residency is no longer in that state, you no longer have a valid license.  You'll want to check to see if your state considers your license no longer valid once you've moved away. (Also, most states do not follow that for military personnel - your license remains valid wherever you go, if you are on active duty.) Not sure the DVLA would know one way or the other, but ....

They really don't like you rolling back in any circumstances (especially hill starts) since it shows a lack of control of the vehicle.

The one true religion of UK driving instructors: Parking Brake Worship. 

For me, the parking break is applied when you have stopped driving, so your car doesn't roll down a hill.  Driving Instructors think it needs to be applied constantly.