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Driving — License, Lessons, Licence

Getting a UK driving license as an American is not as easy as it might seem.

As mentioned previously, our US driver licenses’ are only valid for driving for our first year here. After that, we must have UK licences (they spell that word differently here). That seemed ideal—a year to get comfortable driving on the wrong side of the road and to learn the differences in traffic laws and driving practices. Except that my US license expired on my birthday this year. I had assumed I’d simply renew it online, but the renewal notice said I had to appear in person for a photo, thumbprint and vision test.

I already had my UK provisional licence when I got that notice, so I scheduled a theory (written) test and crammed for it. The test has two parts, both on a computer: the first is multiple-choice questions on driving law and practice, the second is a hazard perception test that shows several videos of driving situations and you have to click when you first detect something that requires action from the driver. That second part made me a little nervous, but I did fine and passed both parts on my first attempt.

Hurry Up and Wait

You’re not eligible to take the practical driving test until you’ve lived in the UK for at least six months, or in my case, four weeks after my license expired. So, I lost my driving privileges. Happy birthday to me. Adding to my frustration, the soonest I could schedule the driving test was mid-October, over two months after my license expired!

Kurt took a few lessons to get comfortable before driving on his own. Since I had driven in the UK before, I didn’t feel I needed lessons other than for driving test prep. So, when we got the car, I was our driver for the first six weeks. It was a little nerve-wracking getting re-accustomed to driving on the left. But, there’s usually enough traffic around to remind you where you’re supposed to be, so that isn’t the hard part. The hard part is having so much car on your left, especially on narrow roads with parked cars.

The Same, But Different

The differences between driving in the US and the UK are significant. Of course, vehicle operation is the same, but the roads and rules are very different. Roads here are narrow, even major roads. Most streets are one lane in each direction with parking on one or both sides. In places, that means traffic can proceed in only one direction at a time. Frequently, cars move in both directions with parked cars on both sides, so there’s a parked car within inches to the left and one moving in the opposite direction on the right.

Recently, we chatted with a chap who’d been to the US, and he commented on the size of our roads, “You can wander all around your lane and not worry about hitting anything because the lanes and roads are massive!” An exaggeration, but not entirely untrue.

The British generally drive more cooperatively and are usually more willing to share the road than Americans, probably because there’s so little of it.

  • Two lane road in our neighborhood
  • Two cars are supposed to fit through that blind curve
  • A fairly wide street that will have even more cars parked on it when everyone gets home from work.

Stop signs are almost non-existent here; instead, give way (yield) is the rule. Stopping unnecessarily where you’re only required to give way will get you honked at. Most Californians would be comfortable since rolling stops are the norm there.

Roundabouts

They are everywhere. They vary in size from a white circle painted in the middle of a small intersection to a massive quarter-mile spoked wheel with multiple lights controlling movement into and around it. There’s a system for using roundabouts and its effectiveness depends on everyone using it. Large, light-controlled roundabouts are easy: follow the lights and lanes and look out for people doing their own thing (they have those too). Otherwise, give way to traffic from the right, don’t stop unless you must, and use your turn signal. Which is another difference, most people know what those are for and use them.

Once my license expired, Kurt took over driving and I started lessons to prepare for the test. Kurt liked his instructor, so I used the same one. After my first lesson, Kurt asked how it went. I replied, “Well, I didn’t kill him.” I don’t mean my driving didn’t kill him. I’ve been driving for 35 years; he wasn’t in danger from my driving. But, I can’t tell you how annoying it is to have someone not just backseat drive but literally give non-stop directions, cues, and corrections on every single thing you do (or don’t do). I was fed up after about five minutes. It was a two-hour lesson.

I didn’t want my California license to lapse so long that I’d have to retest when we go back, so I sent the DMV a renewal by mail application with a letter pleading my case and a letter from an optometrist certifying my vision. In it, I explained that I got a new license due to my name change when Kurt and I got married, so they have a recent picture and thumbprint. I sent that off in early September and they cashed my check for the renewal fee in early October. Half of me expected a new California license to show up in the mail the day after I passed the test. The other half hoped it would show up in case I failed.

Test Time

The day of my driving test finally arrived. My instructor picked me up for some last-minute practice. The test centre is in the corner pocket of a neighborhood with a busy primary school. I can’t help but wonder if the location was strategically chosen. At school drop-off and pick-up times, it’s a driving gauntlet. Pedestrians and cars going in every direction, parked cars bumper to bumper on both sides of the road leaving barely enough room for one vehicle to pass. Drivers have to take turns proceeding and ducking into openings at the end of driveways in order to get through. We arrived for my test in the midst of school drop-off chaos.

The test was straightforward. The examiner asked safety questions about the vehicle and its operation, one while stationary and one while driving. They tell you to execute certain maneuvers when it’s safe to do so. But, they tell you that when it’s not safe to see if you’ll do it anyway.

At first, they tell you where to go, but for about half of the test, they tell you to follow the road signs to a specific destination. This is to see how well you read and react to road signs and to observe your driving. It was challenging because I had to rely completely on the signs. Someone who’s lived here for years would know the route and not need to rely on them. In one section, it was a long stretch between signs. I started to wonder if I’d missed one and how far off course he’d let me go before he gave directions again. But, all was well, and he eventually took over again.

I passed!

The examiner noted a handful of minor mistakes, but I passed. I think I’m happier to have a licence again now than I was when I first got one at 16. Not being able to drive felt like my wings had been clipped. Now, it’s Kurt’s turn and the clock is ticking.

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For Better, For Worse, For Easier, For Harder

One of the first observations I made about living in England versus the US was that it’s an odd mix of things that are better/easier and things that are worse/harder. Americans seem to assume that everything in the US is better, but we can tell you that isn’t true. Sure, some things are great in the US and we miss those things a lot (Mexican food is the first thing that comes to mind, although I think Mexico gets the credit for that). But, there are plenty of things here that we already know we’ll miss when we go home.

Kurt wrote about how great public transportation is, but I have to give it another shout out. It’s just so easy to get almost anywhere you need to go. It’s inexpensive, easy, safe, and clean. It’s not perfect, of course, there are occasional delays, and in the summer, it can be hot and smelly on a crowded tube train. Transport for London regularly reminds passengers to carry water with them on the train, which I also recommend—along with wearing deodorant but not cologne or perfume (please and thank you).

Despite great public transit, we’re looking forward to getting a car, which brings me to the next great thing. If you’ve ever been in the car when I drove around the only roundabout (rotary for New Englanders) I know of in San Diego County, you know how much I love them and loathe drivers who don’t know how to use them (which seems to be the majority of Americans). They’re efficient and they’re everywhere here, and everyone knows how to use them!

Speaking of driving, we’ve observed that drivers here are more courteous than in the US. I find that drivers here tend to be more cooperative than competitive, which seems to be the most popular driving style in the US. Drivers here don’t have an “I own this road” mentality and work together to keep traffic moving. Sure, we’ve seen some crappy driving, but far less than in the states.

We can drive on our US licenses for a year, but then we must have a UK license. I’ve started the process to get one already. I don’t know about other states, but I’m certain the California DMV is one of Dante’s nine circles of hell. I didn’t have to set foot in any such place to get a provisional UK driving license though. I completed an online application and paid a fee. They mailed me the official application to sign and return with a recent passport-style photo and my ID (I had to mail the actual ID, and yes, that made me nervous). Within a few days, I had a provisional driving license and my ID back.

I still have to take both the written (theory) and driving tests to be fully licensed. The theory test covers not just the rules of the road and road signs, it also includes a hazard perception test. The driving test is harder than in the US (the pass rate is much lower, which may explain the better drivers). We both plan to take a couple lessons with an instructor to make sure we pass on the first go. We don’t want to find out how embarrassing it would be to fail.

Air conditioning is another thing we miss. It’s humid here, and almost nothing is air conditioned. Certainly not our house. Although, on the bright side, places that are air conditioned aren’t kept so cold you start looking forward to going back out in the heat to thaw out. They cool it just enough to barely be comfortable. Energy is expensive here, so they don’t waste it.

But, because of that humidity they have towel warmers. A warm towel after a shower is just about the best thing ever. We’re going to miss that for sure.

We’ve had a bank account here for three months and haven’t paid a penny in fees, not even for a supply of checks (cheques). There’s no minimum balance requirement to avoid fees either. In the US it seems banks and credit unions order how things clear to maximize fees. Here, the only overdraft “fee” is the interest charge on the outstanding amount until it’s repaid, which seems fair and if a debit clears before a deposit on the same day, there’s no charge. But, interest rates are much higher than in the US—heart-stoppingly higher. We’ve seen rates from 39% for a store card to 1,349% for a payday loan.

Opening a bank account is much harder though; we spent three hours on the phone and an hour in the branch. Tip for anyone moving to the UK from the US: open a bank account with any bank that has a presence in both countries before you move (HSBC is good one). Electronic banking security in Britain is lightyears ahead of the US, for better and for worse. Better in that our accounts are secure. Worse in that we can’t remember the multitude of codes, keys, PINs, and passwords, and they don’t ask for a full password, they ask for different characters from your password each time you log in.

Cell phones (mobiles) are so much less expensive. We were paying $85 each per month for unlimited calls and texts and six gigs of data. It’s entirely likely we could’ve saved a few bucks if we shopped around, but not as much as we’re saving here. We’re paying about $35 total per month for basically the same service and there’s no contract.

Sales tax (VAT) is included in prices, so you know exactly how much something costs. If it says £10, it’s £10. No more calculating in your head how much 7.65% sales tax is on that $87 item.

But, there are weird things that you can buy almost anywhere in the US that are hard to find here. I wanted to buy a little bottle of isopropyl rubbing alcohol. At home, I could go to any grocery or drug store and spend less than a dollar. Here, I had to order it online and pay almost $5 (it is purposefully made difficult to acquire because desperate alcoholics might drink it). Ammonia was only slightly easier to buy.

Coming from San Diego, we’re used to being able to find a store open somewhere at any time of day. You might drive a little farther and pay a little more, but you can get almost anything at any time. Here, most stores close by five or six and many don’t even open on Sunday, and if they do, they close very early. I see positives and negatives to that, but I do miss the convenience.

I think the biggest thing we miss is just the familiarity of knowing how things work and what to do or who to call if they don’t. Things are just different enough to make everything a little harder; it’s kind of like being a young adult figuring out how to do things for yourself all over again. And, as George Bernard Shaw once said, England and America are two countries divided by a common language.