Thursday, January 2, 2014

A Licensed UK Driver

A Lady by Jo

I passed my UK driving test today! Yipee! I was very, very nervous. It's funny how I have sat through many tests in my life, but this one had me more nervous than any I can remember. My driving instructor, Jon, put the fear of god in me. He was a typical Englishman, very slow to praise, quick to point out all the errors in my driving. After each lesson I was convinced that I should not be on the roads at all. I tossed and turned in bed last night, going over and over all the various combinations of actions needed to drive through multi-lane roundabouts, reversing around corners and emergency stopping. The actual examiner this morning was a kindly chap and I got the impression that he was not trying to fail me. I had 6 minor faults out of a possible 15. Basically all related to not looking in the mirrors enough (especially when I slowed down to park, one needs to check one's mirrors before any action). Still I passed and that is all that matters.

It has been 35 years since I last took a driving test. I have a South African, American and Israeli driving license, and now I am licensed to drive in the UK. I have to say (in hindsight) that it's a good thing to go through after all this time. I was not a very good driver at all. Hopefully I have improved, but I still don't like driving at all. 

1 comment:

Rookie Driver said...

I have to ask, what are the differences in drivers' exams in the countries that you passed? While you may had the toughest time with Jon, was the British exam easier? Did they put the emphasis different aspects of driving? Either way, it's good that it's all done with. Congratulations!
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