Help ! Intensive Driving L experiences and reccomendations.

superbear

Hi.

I hope sombedy or anyone can help me !

I need to learn to drive in the next 40 days ! I need a driving licence before March 30th. Is this possible ?

Right now, I don't even have 40 days because currently I do not have a valid provisional license. I need to apply for that tommorow ! I hope it does not take too long.

I have a certain amount of experience and had lessons when younger. I can "drive" to a certain extent, move out, change gears up and down, indicate, park to a certain degree. I know my way around a car and what it does, but I would be somewhat nervous and unsure thrown into traffic and probably miss things out.

I need to learn to perfect the art and become natural with the driving process and experience. I need the finer points of 3 point turns, parallel parking and so on.

I was imagining / hoping that the best way to do this would be to do an intensive course. Is this possible. Does anyone have any experiences they could share ? Can they actually help you get the theory and practical tests at short notice ?

I was hoping to do this somewhere in the West Midlands. Not fussy about the town, as long as it is in the general West Midlands conurbation, preferably which would allow me to get in and back to Birmingham in the evenings by train. Could anybody reccomend any good instructors or schools.

Any help and experiences greatly appreciated.

scbk

I hate to say this but not sure you'll make it.

It usually takes 1-2 weeks for your provisional to come through. Then once you have your licence no. you can book your theory which could be another 1-2 week wait. Not sure if you can even book a practical test without your theory pass certificate number. The waiting time for a practical test varies from area to area and month to month. February shouldn't be too bad, but I've seen up to 6wks in the summer!


Good luck though

cajef

scbk wrote: »

Not sure if you can even book a practical test without your theory pass certificate number. The waiting time for a practical test varies from area to area and month to month.

That is correct you cannot book a practical test until you have passed your theory, according to the DSA the average wait for a practical test in the midlands at present is 6 to 7 weeks.

The only other option would be if he could get a cancellation which would mean phoning the DSA every day, the problem there is usually they are snapped up immediately they become available so it pure chance if you happen to ring at the right moment, though the DSA are supposed to keep a list of people waiting for cancellations but it never seems to be effective.

anewman

If you book on the Practical test website you might be able to find a date early that's at a crap time of day.

emmy05

get in touch with a driving instructor, theyre your best bet to fast track your way through, they would also tell you of any crash course instructors to go with too x

Inactive

emmy05 wrote: »

crash course instructors x

:rotfl: :rotfl:

Sorry, that really made me laugh.

cajef

emmy05 wrote: »

get in touch with a driving instructor, theyre your best bet to fast track your way through, they would also tell you of any crash course instructors to go with too x

I am an ex driving instructor, at one time instructors could book test slots for fictitious pupils in advance and just put someone in that slot when they had a pupil ready for test, which would mean you could if necessary 'fast track' someone.

Unfortunately the DSA cottoned on to this and put a stop to it, now unless things have changed again, the pupil must have a theory certificate number and the practical test can only be booked in their name so they have to wait their turn, it is no longer possible to 'fast track' someone through the system.

Normally I would not recommend intensive courses as they are pretty stressful for both the instructor and the pupil, and the pass rate for people that do them is pretty poor, it is a lot to take in and get up to the required test standard in such a short time unless the person takes to it naturally, and they are rare, however in some circumstances like the OP's they can be a necessity.