To think I can drive 4 hours per day, 4 times a week as a newly qualified driver?

[Psych101B]

I am starting a university course in September and am unable to move closer to the university due to various reasons. The drive from my house is 2 hours each way. I passed my test in 2023 but haven’t driven much since (only short drives to local supermarkets etc) as I’ve been saving up to buy a car.

Am I being unrealistic in thinking that if I get a car in April and do intensive driving practice between then and September, that I will be confident and able to drive for 4 hours per day 4 times a week?

I had to drive 5 hours per day for a year due to SEN school runs. I've been driving over 20 years. It nearly killed me. It was awful and soul destroying that I'd go to bed tired, wake up tired, and have to do it all over again.

My husband has this drive occasionally to main office. I hate him doing it in a day, and I don't think I could do it myself and concentrate on lectures etc. Driving tired is unsafe, especially in the dark.

I would look into renting a room or Travelodge a couple of nights a week if poss. AirBnB for rooms in a house might be a good place to look. Talk to hosts about whether they would do a discount for a regular night or two per week. DH doesn't like to stay away but TBH by the time he's done that much driving and worked on top he doesn't have the energy to do much at home so I would rather he is safe. He works evenings when he is away, which means he can do more at home when he is here.

With the train you might not always get a seat, but sometimes you will, and whether you do or not it's still more of a mental break than driving. Some people like driving more than others of course. Also it might be worth asking station staff about tickets. There are some old school staff still around who are tickets geeks (it's a thing) and are next level at finding the best deals. The tech has caught up a lot now but I would still ask their advice - it can be hard to weigh up all the options on an app.

As a new driver you might find it more tiring than an experienced one as you are still learning what to 'see' etc.

I don't think your driving experience is the issue. The route will become very familiar to you and you will become confident very quickly so I wouldn't worry about that. I do however feel really bad for you as that sounds very tough no matter how long you've been driving. I hope you fine a cheap hotel nearby and you could do a deal where you stay 1 night per week. I know someone who did this, it wasn't much more than the petrol and worth it for the extra rest.

What's the route like? I do that twice a week, 2 hours each way without traffic. But it's up the A3 and round the M25, which is far easier than if it was county roads or through cities.
Also factor in traffic. Last time I did it the A3 was shut at the M25, then again at J4, which ment 2 diversions, and added about half an hour. I rarely do it without some sort of hold up.
If you can drive 30 minutes, you can drive 2 hours, driving is driving. It's just the boredom factor really, and how long it takes out of your day.
It's costs me £30 there and back, 100 miles in a medium size car. So you're looking at roughly half the cost of the train.

I don't really understand why you need to practice "lots"? Just continue driving and maybe do some motorway practice, getting off and on a few times.

Anyway - I agree with what everyone says. The getting to uni bit is going to be the issue - I have to travel 30 miles to work and despite it being mostly motorway, the shortest time it's taken me to get there is 50 minutes. I'm quite often on the road for 90 minutes, so I leave at 7 in the hope I'll get there for 8.

It's honestly soul destroying. I hate it. I would look into staying over, or even renting a room and moving. If you're a new driver, then buying a car is going to have a cost, but your insurance could be close to £2k and then you've got upkeep and fuel for several long journeys.

Are you allowed to park in the park and ride overnight? Occasionally you could drive to university and then get the train home and then the opposite the next day? I found driving to university during my masters was a great way to prepare for the day and decompress on the way home. I’d practice presentations that I had recorded and could rehearse out loud whilst sat in the car alone. I listened to relevant podcasts etc on the way home and would use Siri to make notes and set reminders etc. Once you start you might discover someone else would occasionally like to share the drive? For example someone in your home town might stay at the university location Monday- Friday so could car share with them on a Monday morning and Friday afternoon. I think it’s workable and if it becomes too exhausting then you could occasionally use an Airbnb or Premier inn to stay overnight. You’ll make it work. Congratulations on getting selected.

Surely if it's a doctorate once you've established yourself with your colleagues you could seek to have regular work from home days and you wouldn't need to travel at all. I did it on masters course way before covid and wfh was a thing. I had a 2 hour commute on multiple buses and trains and they were fine with me wfh.

Within two months of passing my driving test I was doing a 1-2 hour each way M25 commute, 5 days a week, before and after an 11 hour working day. I think it was a great way of just getting into driving and reducing the fear factor, although the cheap car I bought for £400 wasn't so happy about it and only lasted 3 months!

I’d catch the train and spend the 4hrs doing uni work, such as required reading, summarising lecture notes, revision, thoughts/points for future work for assignments etc. That’s going to be a FAR better use of your travelling time than driving even taking cost into account.

It sounds awful, can you not live in a HMO near the university for a couple of nights a week?

I'd been driving for about 20 years when my job changed and I had to do this. I was ok for the first few months, then I was absolutely exhausted all the time. Lost my social life, home life was a drudge and I was just no fun at all.

It's very difficult to imagine the impact such tiredness has on you and your life when you are excited about a new plan and full of confidence. Try it, if you really want to, but don't be surprised when you start to resent it and want to give it up.

Yes but what's your course? My son commuted 30 miles for university but sometimes it was a real pain with long gaps between lectures and some semesters going in daily. Library and study spaces often full. Consider everything such as parking cost, my sons was £8 a day, petrol, wear and tear and depreciation of the car, food and drink costs. Coffees add up! Personally I would reconsider your plan bearing in mind you will be tired and adverse weather and roadworks can ruin best laid plans. My son had a 3 hour drive one day as the road was closed due to a fire and the diversion was long.

I suggest that you get loads of practice in between now and the course starting - this will build your experience.

Actually, if you can't drive a journey of two hours due to lack of confidence then should you really be driving at all?

It sounds exhausting. Also, what are your feelings about the environmental impact? Train is obviously better from that perspective.

Or, as others have suggested, how about a part-time lodger arrangement? I've just taken on a part-time lodger in a similar situation (although in their case they live in another town and come to my city a few days a week for work) but the problem it solves is the same – a horribly long and tiring commute.
It'll be cheaper than a hotel, and more homey to live in a house, have use of a kitchen and washing machine etc.

This is madness OP.

You will be exhausted.

There are so many variables with driving these distances.

If you REALLY must do it, and cannot lodge, don’t do some days driving and some not. Do part driving, part public transport every day. You get better value for money from your season ticket that way.

Don’t underestimate the value of being able to shut your eyes and put your head back for a moment even on busy public transport. You won’t be able to do this if you drive.

I ended up doing this when I was at uni.

I DO NOT recommend it. Its tiring and you still will need to study.

Rethink this.

It’s a crazy idea! Apart from anything else, so much driving in one week, week after week will not be good for your health.
You will render yourself more susceptible to accidents and will therefore be putting yourself (and others!) in danger. You may choose to risk it, but others don’t have the luxury of avoiding you.
And whether others agree or not, I think being a new driver will be a big factor in deciding your safety!
Please think again. Tiredness is big contributor to accidents.

That will cost a fortune in fuel, it will be tiring after a days lectures and what if everyone’s going for a drink after lectures? Will you never join the fun?

if living there isn’t possible, I’d buy train tickets and stay in cheap hotels

Also worth factoring in the hidden (ish!) costs of running the car.

HMRC mileage rate factors in wear & tear and is still 45p per mile. If my maths is right (because this sounds a lot) I reckon one week (4 days) would cost you approx 90x2x4x0.45 = £325 in petrol, upkeep and depreciation. Per month that's £1300. Doesn't make the train sound so bad!

Of course that's a blunt instrument and you can prob save money by running an older car with slower depreciation etc, but the costs of driving are probably much closer to that than they are to the petrol cost alone.

No reason why you should not be fine, but it sounds miserable! Are you sure you have to go in 4 days?

That’s madness to even consider

@Psych101B

The practice will help.

But that's at least 16 hours of driving, plus classes, plus assignments and tests. Don't set yourself up to fail.

Using public transport will give you hours each week to get the coursework done, and you'll have more time to study at home.

In addition, driving all those hours will put so much wear and tear on your tires, your vehicle, and all it's parts. Even one repair could be expensive, not to mention maintenance expenses.

If you look at the true cost of operating a vehicle, the train might be a much better value.

You will become confident very quickly and it’s only term time. Can you move closer after the 1st year? Driving long distances in England in 60% infuriating traffic jams and you will undoubtedly miss out on some of the social side of university.

I did this for the first year of uni and was too shattered to do much of anything by the time I got home.
For the next few years I drove about an hour and got a train the rest of the way. It ended up costing about the same but less wear on the car and an hour on the train morning and evening either gave me a chance to do some work or just to regather myself ready to work when I got home.

Would that be an option?