Learning to drive is one of the things that most people look forward, but the whole process of gaining your license can be daunting. But you do become the most independent you have ever been in your life. The most important part of driving is learning how to drive. So when you are doing this, make sure you actually learn the rules of the road.

Here is the step by step process of being able to drive:

1.Get your provisional license

Before you can get in a car learn you must have a provisional license. This is obtained by completing a D1 form from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. This can be obtained from post offices. You are also able to book your theory test when in possession of a provisional license.

2.Taking your theory test

This is a mandatory test that is needed before you can take your final practical test. A lot of people do this test before even start learning to drive. They take place at official testing centres. There is a range of over 800 questions that could occur on the test, but only 35 actually appear. You have 40 minutes to take the test and have 30 minutes to take it.

3.Practice, Practice, Practice

Once you have your provisional and you have passed your theory test try driving with a fully licensed driver at any chance you can get. You could ask a friend or parent to help you, but investing in professional driving lessons with a driving instructor will help you even more.

4.Take the Practical Test

This test is the final ‘piece of the puzzle’. It is to satisfy the examiner that you are capable of driving safely. During this 40 minute test you will be examined on your general driving, as well as two reversing exercises and possibly an emergency stop.

When you are ready for this final step, book your practical test online, by phone or by post and indicate your preferred test date.

When you become seventeen no doubt you have been looking forward to sending off for your provisional driving license so you can learn to drive, and gain freedom. Or maybe you have just put of driving and now that great job is too far to get the train or bus, making you re think about learning to drive. There are many ways in which you can learn to drive and it’s a good idea to research all of them before you start learning.

If you are looking to save money on your driving lessons it may be an idea to think about booking onto a residential driving school. This is because if you book lessons for one hour weekly this can be a costly and also a slower way of learning to drive. This is for two reasons, the first is that learning something new with such long gaps in between each lesson will mean that you never get to fully practice what you learn while it is fresh in your memory, this will mean that although you will be learning driving techniques slowly, every time you get back in the car, after a weeks break you will have to refresh your memory and it will put you back slightly each time. Secondly because of this it will take you longer to learn to drive, and conquer the manoeuvres. This means that you will end up spending more on learning to drive.

To learn to drive quickly and cheaply it may be an idea to book yourself onto a residential driving school. This is where you have intensive driving lessons over a week. During the week you will take your theory test and at the end of the week your test will already be booked ready for you to take after you finished your residential driving school. This is the best way to learn to drive as you will be intensively driving for a week helping you master driving quickly and also because you are buying your week in bulk the cost will be cheaper than if you drove over a year with one lesson per week. It will take you less time to drive at a residential driving school than it would over a long period of time. The advantages of learning to drive through a residential driving school are that it’s faster, cheaper, there are less distraction if you do it somewhere else for the week, one to one tuition all day, and that there are no long waiting times for your driving test at the end.