Driving and Being Driven

Below you will find information on obtaining a provisional licence, find a driving instructor and undertaking driving lessons, arranging both a theory and practical driving test, and schemes to assist with those driving with disabilities and driving independently.

Provisional Licence

Before learning to drive a car you need to know whether you can start to learn. Most people can start to learn to drive a car at 17 years of age. You can apply for your provisional licence three months before your 17th birthday but the licence is not valid until your birthday.

If you are in receipt of higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), you can apply for your provisional licence 3 months before your 16th birthday, with it becoming valid on your 16th birthday.

You can apply for a provisional licence via the gov.uk website.

Driving Lessons

When learning to drive you must be supervised in the car at all times. This can be done by friends or family, providing they comply with the law, and most commonly by a driving instructor.

To legally charge someone for driving lessons, an instructor must be on the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) register or have a trainee’s 'licence to give instruction' issued by the ADI Registrar. Instructors must display their ADI registration badge in the front windscreen of their car.

When finding a driving instructor you may want to have a conversation and ask them some questions beforehand. These may include:

What will you need to do before taking your practical test?
Is the instructor able to teach someone with your needs or disability?
Can I check if my instructor is registered on the approved Driving Instructor Register?
What tests will I need to do?
How much will it cost and how long will it take?

There are many ways you can find a driving instructor. You can find your nearest approved driving instructor on the gov.uk website.

The Driving Instructors Association (DIA) website includes information about learning to drive and a directory of qualified driving instructors in your area. Not all driving instructors in your area are listed in the directory.

The Association of Disability Driving Instructors helps people with physical disabilities, special educational needs, and hearing difficulties. They have a directory of disability driving instructors which will allow you to find instructors in your local area. Not all disability friendly driving instructors are listed in this directory.

Theory Test

Before taking your practical test you must complete your theory test. You can take your theory test at any point after you have turned 17. If you are in receipt of the enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), then you can take your test at any point after you have turned 16.

There are two parts to a theory test:

1. Multiple Choice Theory Test

The Multiple Choice Theory Test, which is questions based on three books. The Highway Code, Know your traffic signs, and Driving – the essential skills.

2. Hazard Perception Test

The Hazard Perception Test, which tests your ability to spot hazards on the road. Before you start the hazard perception test, you’ll be shown a video about how it works.

When you book your theory test you should inform the DVLA if you have a disability, health condition or reading difficulty. Examples of support available for the Multiple Choice Theory Test can be viewed via the dropdown below.

Extra time to take the test
Take the test in British Sign Language
Spoken test, which is an English speaking voice-over using a headset
One to one reader/recorder, which is a person will read questions on the computer screen word for word and then record the answer given by the candidate. They cannot explain the meaning of the English language
Oral Language Modification, where the candidate has severe difficulty understanding the meaning of the language used for the test, the reader can explain the meaning rewording the questions to make them easier to understand. Technical terms may not be reworded
A private environment/separate room may be available on request

No special allowance is made when taking the Hazard Perception Test.

Book your Theory Test (gov.uk)

If you pass your theory test you can book your driving test. If you fail you can rebook your theory test after three working days.

Practical Test

You can book a driving test up to 24 weeks in the future. There is no waiting list or cancellation list.

There are five parts to the practical driving test:

An eyesight check (reading a number place from a distance of 20 metres - failing this will result in a test failure)
‘Show me, tell me’ vehicle safety questions (the ‘tell me’ question before you start driving, and the ‘show me’ question while you are driving)
General driving ability (driving in various road and traffic conditions, excluding motorways)
Reversing your vehicle (this will be one of three manoeuvres - parallel parking, bay parking, reversing in or out of the space, or pulling up on the right side of the road and reversing)
Independent driving (following signs towards a destination, or following sat nav guidance - a sat nav will be provided by the examiner)

The practical test includes 40 minutes of driving in total and is the same for both manual and automatic cars.

Disabilities

When you book your driving test you should say if you have a disability, health condition, or learning difficulty. You'll still have to drive to the same standard to pass but the examiner can make adjustments to your situation.

You may be allowed more time for your test if you have certain disabilities. It will give the examiner time to talk to you about your disability and any adaptations fitted to your car.

If you are deaf of have a hearing impairment the examiner will use written notes at the start of the test to explain will happen. If you lip read, they'll also look at you so you can lip read what they're saying. The examiner will give directions using hand signals. These will be explained to you before your test starts.

You can take a British Sign Language Interpreter with you. They must be at least 16 years old. You need to arrange your own interpreter and pay any fees that they charge. You can claim the cost back after your test.

During the eyesight check at the start of your driving test, you can write down the number plate instead of reading it out loud.

The examiner can make adjustments for the independent driving part if the test. They may ask if you prefer to follow traffic signs instead of taking directions from a sat nav.

Book your driving test (gov.uk)

Motability

The Motability scheme is designed to help people with disabilities to lease safe, reliable and affordable cars, powered wheelchairs, and scooters.

Many different types of car make and models are available, from small cars to MPV and SUV's. This also includes cars with manual, automatic, and semi-automatic transmission.
Driving adaptations are available on many of the cars as part of the scheme. These vary from simple attachments, to replacing all existing controls with a system individually designed for the user. More information about adaptations can be found on the Motability website.

Motability cars must be used by the disabled person or for the benefit of the disabled person. This does not mean that the disabled person needs to be in the car for every journey. This means that other named drivers in the household can use the car for shopping or other routine activities as long as the disabled customer benefits.

The Motability Scheme has eligibility criteria in order to qualify for their support. You can find out more about eligibility on the Motability website. You can also check your eligibility using Motability's eligibility checker.

Many of Lincolnshire's car dealerships offer cars through the Motability Scheme. You can find local dealers on the Motability website. You should speak directly to the dealership about these opportunities.

Driving Mobility

Driving Mobility are supported by the Department for Transport and co-ordinate 20 independent driving and mobility assessment centres across the UK. These centres include independent charities and NHS centres which offer professional information and assessments to enable disabled and elderly people to drive safely and gain or retain their independence.

The below video provides more detail on the Driving Mobility offer (YouTube).

For further information visit the Driving Mobility website.

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