I always considered learning to drive a right of passage, when you got older you would drive and have a car. It was very black and white for me.
As I went through high school they started to introduce new elements required to pass your driving test. The theory test was the biggest thing and there was lots of talk about when would be the right time to think about taking this, before or after starting your driving lessons.
I always thought that I would start my driving lessons as soon as I turned 17 but surprisingly I wasn’t as raring to go as I thought I would be.
It took a few months before I applied for my licence and booked my lessons. I was also one of those people who needed quite a few lessons, this was because I didn’t really gel with my first driving instructor and he made me quite nervous. Thankfully he left and my new driving instructor made me feel more comfortable and we worked towards my driving test quite quickly.
The biggest piece of advice I can give you when taking your driving test is drive like you have already failed it. It sounds ridiculous but I drove my entire driving test believing I had failed my test.
The reason this happened was because my driving examiner put his foot on the dual controls of the car as soon as we left the test centre. I knew that if this happened it was an instant fail. I took my whole test whilst singing ‘You’ve filed’ in my head.
Needless to say I was speechless when the driving examiner proceeded to inform me that ‘He was pleased to say I had passed my test’. He then apologised for touching the pedals of the dual controls, saying that it was force of habit.
I don’t think I uttered a word whilst my driving instructor drove me home after the test. I must have looked like death warmed up on my return as my mum run over to the car and pulled me out telling me that it was OK and I could sit the test again. I finally found the words to tell her that I HAD PASSED!
Of course passing your test is only the first hurdle to get you on the road to driving. You then have to look into cars and car insurance, and being a new driver you can expect to pay high insurance premiums.
More Than have introduced an insurance to help young drivers on to the road. The telematics Driving Style Score is a black box insurance that could help young drivers save up to £750.
Young drivers could also get 10% cash back in their first year using the prepaid debit card. There are no fines or increases in the first year. There are no curfews or mileage limits and a courtesy car is included as standard.
So how does it work?
A Journey Score is calculated as you drive. The following scores are recorded for each of the three Driving Style score measures – Smoothness, Speed and Usage. Each of these is taken into account when calculating your Overall Driving Style score.
If the telematics Driving Style Score was available when I passed my driving test it would have been an insurance option that I would have looked into.