When to give up P plates?

[Meckity1]

I was thinking of having P plates for a year, but a lot of friends have been telling me to get rid after a few months.

I've been driving around 4 months, getting quicker out of junctions, still terrified and lacking confidence on dual carriageways and motorways.

My NDN kept her's on for 3 years! I did think it was just a little excessive!

@Allli I've had a few vans 'push' me, including one through a notoriously tight spot where there's lots of double parking and a bend so you can't see what's coming. I use that road a lot, and there are four double deckers per hour coming through that junction, plus it's quite a main road so lots of commercial vehicles. I actually pulled over to let them past, comforted that there was no way that they were sticking to the speed limit and there are a lot of speed cameras.

Most of the time people are really kind.

@ALongHardWinter unless I get better with the changing lanes in strange places, I'll probably have mine on just as long

You've passed! That's it. It's not an easy test to pass, it's not a GCSE! I always think the P stands for 'pathetic' . Sorry not helpful....

I always take a bit of extra care with P plate user and am not a knob driver who targets them.

You should take an equal care for all drivers.

@ALongHardWinter in addition and seriously - how much driving did your neighbour do? In term time I can easily do 200 miles a week and I'm making a conscious effort to drive at least every other day over the summer. Did she not drive?

If I'm sitting behind you at a junction silently frustrated that you didn't pull out when I might have done, how does that affect you? What difference do P plates make?

So that you have a little bit of patience with a newly passed driver

In Northern Ireland you have to have R plates on for a year, you are restricted to 45 miles per hour even on motorways and dual carriageways. It lets other drivers know you've been driving for less than a year this is why they might be slow to pull out of junctions.

@RCAR I think I passed my test because of some 'experienced' style driving. I was borderline (bit straight on a roundabout and a little hesitant at a junction) when I got stuck in a tight road, lots of parked cars, oncoming large van and no obvious place to go, so I pulled over into a drive entrance because otherwise the whole queue of traffic was stuffed. I didn't flap, I thought I'd failed and I just wanted to get back to the centre.

I feel that I am a better, safer driver now because I'm not always worrying about whether the person sitting next to me thinks I've got it wrong.

I kept mine on for a day as my friend bought them for me as she felt safer with me driving on the M25 with her. They flew off during the journey never to be seen again.

However I was a comfortable driver when I passed my test as I spent a lot of time pretest driving around outside of lessons.

If they make you feel more comfortable keep them on. If you're still a nervous driver (trust me on the first time I was on the M25 during rush hour I was!) Take someone who's an experienced driver with you on tricky journeys until you do feel comfortable. I must admit those going massively under the speed limit or those who are nervous coming out of slip roads shouldn't be on the road as they're a danger to everyone.

I never used them. I have occasionally driven round people doing strange things with P plates on though rather than keep waiting and waiting and waiting. Perhaps that is what people mean by being a target.

@verystressedmum I wish I could hold on to that. I'm getting better and better, but some of the junctions/roundabouts on my route are tricky (according to my instructor) and not everyone has patience.

@IjustMadeTheCall I consciously drive on the speed limit where possible. If there's no-one behind me, there's a few winding roads where I slow down, but otherwise I am aware that I mustn't be a hazard by slow driving. On my regular route, I know all the places where I can keep up the speed, ones where caution is needed and where the speed cameras are. I struggle in strange areas, while consciously trying to keep up speed. With the slip roads, that is my worry. I don't have much practice, and I am aware that I can cause problems if I don't get it right. I don't have anyone to go out with me apart from my instructor (who is poorly atm).

@Asdf12345 as long as it wasn't you that drove around me and across a junction when I was stopped at a red light, I am fine (Bradford driving conditions).

I'm also against P plates. For nervous drivers then a month max or the first few times on a motorway.

Passing your test means you should be a competent road user, not experienced but competent. I would never be an arsehole driver but if someone drives up and stops at the entry to a clear roundabout with good visibility then I don't care if they have P plates or not because they're not driving well. If someone takes a little longer parking then so what, it's not the end do the world P plates or not.

When I did my lessons you were taught to presume anyone could behave erratically.

If drivers (new or otherwise) are lacking in road awareness or otherwise that they need a sign warning everyone about their lack of road awareness and want extra space etc then I think they should get refresher lessons and improve their own driving

OP, that’s lousy you’ve had a hard time with stupid van drivers with no patience/consideration so early in your driving!

I do know what it’s like, there are always cars sitting up my ass, undertaking, flashing at me, flipping me the bird - and I’ve been driving for 25 years so don’t have P plates.
I just stick to the legal speed limit (well, very close to it, a couple mph over) and let the numpties do what they will. As you rightly say, they can hare past and get done for speeding if they want. I blow kisses to the fwits who peep/gesture that I should move as they undertake me in their souped up golfs. There are two right turns and I’m in the correct lane to turn right imminently for both but they think I should be doing 40-45mph like them or in the other lane. Wonder how many of them could pass their test again. Just ignore the bad drivers, they will always be there, and do your thing, good luck and congrats on passing your test

@Allli it means some people seem to get pleasure out of trying to scare new drivers by tailgating them, cutting them up, driving too close to them, beeping at lights/roundabouts/junctions. That sort of thing. I've seen it quite often.

@Allli I honestly think that with more cars on the road that there are more idiots. There were a few lessons where I was driving correctly according to my instructor and had some very near misses. In fact there were a few where my instructor who is like having Valium as a passenger, would say that the other driver was suicidal.

I really need to pick up my confidence on motorways and dual carriageways. I guess I'll have to try and find somewhere quiet to practice.

@QuestionableMouse I've been quite lucky with only a few of these sort of encounters, where I've had to pull over and let them past to stay safe.

I've been glad of these plates in places like petrol stations and car washes, because at least people would understand why I was trying to work out what was going on. I'm now more comfortable in the petrol stations, but the first couple of times I was slow.

I've been driving 12 years and some petrol stations still make me take a second. 😂🙄😀

And this is why I loathe the dual carriageway.

I took the long way around to McDonalds to avoid it, but went back on the dual carriageway. On the way back, I'm doing the speed limit. The speed limit is 40 with signs about every three yards, my spedometer needle is on 40, so I'm probably doing around 38, steady as I can. My son is watching the speed as I'm negotiating the gazillion roundabouts between sharp bends, and I'm up to the limit, no flannel. And while I'm hugging the slow lane between roundabouts, there are cars whizzing past at stupid speeds that don't even beat me through the traffic lights!

That is why I worry about P plates and dual carriageways. I'm scared I'll be too slow at the speed limit, and someone will crash trying to overtake me. But I can't afford to get speeding tickets as a newly qualified driver, as I'll lose the license for two years.

Then I came home and parallel parked on the right side of the road and nailed it, so I can get something right.

I've been driving for over 30 years OP and I stick to the speed limits, DSs have to to as their car has a black box thingy. Since they got that i've been better at not just going that wee bit over that I habitually did. Lot's of people have the boxes and therefore can't speed. I can usually tell who has one now :)

Just ignore what other people choose to do, you are driving at the limit and not causing an obstruction, everything else is their issue, not yours.

There's nothing to hate about them.

You drive at the speed limit. Other people do their thing. It's neither here nor there to you if they're in a different lane driving at 50mph in a 40mph (though dare I say it there's some stretches of dual carriageway near me that have had roadworks 50s on for weeks and not so much as a single cone has gone out and most people do 60 along it as it's identical to the 70mph road in ever way).

Nervous or anxious drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents I believe. Something to do with hesitating, being unpredictable. I can't remember where I saw it now.

Ultimately you've got to get to a point where you are driving in a confident, reasonably predictable way that makes progress and part of that is not spending half the time thinking that everyone else is going to crash into you (because that will make your driving less consistent, less fluid and you're not going to become more confident). The more you're distracted and thinking about it being a slip road, a dual carriageway, everyone else's speeds, how much you don't like driving, exaggerating risks in your head, the less focus you're spending on the here and now of driving and making accurate assessments of risk/space/conditions etc

I never used mine, as above, I didnt want to be seen as a target.

I was/am confident though.

Would a Pass Plus course be doable? They focus on motorways, fast country lanes etc. If you can do roundabouts in familiar areas then you can do them in unfamiliar areas too, just keep an extra eye out for signs/road markings.

As above, I probably wouldn't use them anymore for everyday driving. If you still want to as a 'safety blanket' then maybe use then when doing long drives if it makes you feel better.

I think even though you've passed but you are still nervous at changing lanes and new roundabouts I would definitely keep wearing your p plates... but it sounds like you should have a few more lessons!!!

I didn't drive for a bit after I passed my test (18 months or so) then my then-boyfriend let me drive his ancient car on occasion but it had to be on P-plates. When I bought my own car, I refused to put Ps on it as it didn't seem right so long after passing my test plus it was my car, my rules!

Refresher lessons on manoeuvres that you're not 100pc confident on or the Pass Plus course might be better than using the Ps as you'll know that you've got the skills required instead of hoping other drivers will be patient seeung your Ps.

If the limit is 70 you should be doing about 70 (assuming reasonable conditions to do so) but it's not your job to worry about everyone else's driving or speed. You'll be perfectly safe on the duel carriageway as long as you're not massively above or below the speed limit. You can tuck into the inside lane and pootle along at 60mph with the lorries.

You're thinking too much about what everyone else is doing and it's making you anxious.