Car insurance - Tips & Advice - Car insurance for young drivers
Learning to drive is a complicated business. Insuring a car and paying for lessons can be very expensive but persuading a qualified driver to come out in the car with you while you practice can be difficult too. And then when you think you’re ready, you have to take both written and practical tests. It’s a daunting prospect, but Direct Line hopes that its expertise as the UK’s largest direct insurer will make things just a little easier.
Before You Start
You can apply for a provisional driving licence when you’re 17 years old. This allows you to drive on public roads as long as a qualified driver accompanies you – this means someone who is at least 21 years old and has held an EC licence for a minimum of three years. You’ll need to fill in Form D1, which you can get at a Post Office (a fee will be applicable).
You are not allowed to start driving until you have actually received your provisional licence; merely applying for it is not good enough. So if you can’t wait to get started, remember that you can apply for a provisional licence up to 2 months before your actual birthday.
Seeing Is Believing
It’s a sensible idea to have an eye test before you start driving. It’s possible that even if your eyesight is perfectly good enough for schoolwork, reading or working at a computer, you may need glasses to aid your vision on the roads.
Getting Started
You need to make sure that you are insured to drive – if you’re having driving lessons, your instructor will have the necessary insurance cover on his vehicle. Lessons with a recognised driving instructor are highly recommended as they are trained to be teachers and their cars are usually fitted with dual controls so they can take over in an emergency.
If you’re a young driver, you’ll be pleased to know that Direct Line’s New Improved Car Insurance means that not only can you be insured on your parents’ policy if they add you as a named driver, but you can even start building up your own No Claims Discount. We don’t like to penalise young drivers unduly, though we do like to encourage safer driving at a reasonable cost. If you’re not a young driver and are looking to take out your own policy, you may want to find out more about Direct Line’s great-value car insurance deals – you can get a quote right now.
Testing times
When it comes to taking your driving test, you’ll find there are two parts to it: Theory and Practical. You have to pass the Theory before you can take the Practical.
The Theory test contains 35 questions that you need to answer in 40 minutes. You must get 30 or more correct in order to pass. The first part of the test is a multiple-choice paper, which you have 40 minutes to complete. The second part tests hazard perception and is conducted through 14 video clips in which you must identify potential hazards. For this part of the test you must score at least 44 out of 75.
It isn’t designed to trick you, merely to assess whether you have sufficient knowledge of such things as road signs, stopping distances and general road-awareness. Government information and guidance on the theory test can be found at www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/TheoryTest/fs/en. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) theory test website, www.theory-tests.co.uk, lets you practice the test twice for free, and for a small fee you can have unlimited practice attempts. You can also purchase official DSA learning materials such as books, DVDs and CD-ROMS, through the site.
You’ll receive your results before you leave the test centre and if you’ve passed you can then discuss with your driving instructor when they think you might be ready to take your Practical test. A Theory test pass is valid for two years; if you haven’t passed your Practical test within that time, you’ll have to re-take the Theory Test. Waiting lists can be long, so ensure you leave plenty of time to apply.
When you go to a test centre to take your Practical test, don’t forget to take your provisional licence with you, along with your Theory pass certificate and a form of photo ID. The Practical test will also last around 40 minutes.
New Drivers
Congratulations on passing your driving test: you are now a qualified driver. Just remember that you aren’t an experienced driver yet and one-third of all new drivers are involved in an accident within their first two years of driving (according to government figures). So drive carefully, drive considerately and you can make the most of the freedom that being able to drive will bring you.
When you’re learning to drive, you aren’t allowed on a motorway, so now you’ve passed why not consider a motorway driving lesson? It will cover such areas as how and when to overtake, joining and leaving slip roads and how to deal with roadworks. It is also worth considering taking part in the Pass Plus training scheme where you will gain valuable driving experience safely, build on your existing skills and knowledge, reduce your risk of having a crash, and save money on Direct Line Car Insurance. For more information, see www.passplus.org.uk.
You can get a quote on Direct Line’s great value car insurance right now.
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