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?

No matter how experienced you are, that's a lot of driving - especially the 2 hours back after a hard day. I wouldn't do it.

I would give it a go. Journeys are different it could be an easy commute with the radio on and enjoyable. Or it could be a difficult drive and stop start. Just try then you decide

Get the train! You’d be mad to drive that much! I say that as an experienced driver of decades. You’ll be exhausted and stressed - and your car will be knackered very quickly.

You could use your car to drive a short distance to make your initial train route quicker, ie you don’t necessarily have to start your train journey from your local station. Look at the options around you. Some might be quicker or better.

I’d reconsider not moving closer to the uni too. It would make things so much easier for you and probably improve your performance aswell.

Although the journey would become more familiar over time, that can also be a danger. When I was commuting, I found the drive increasingly boring which made me start to feel drowsy and not as alert as a driver should always be.

I got a job before uni at an agricultural research centre and part of the requirement was a driving licence, I had passed just days before the interview, I ended up driving big trucks about 100 miles to and fro to different fields with a school friend who’d also got a job as an assistant and she came with me on all the jobs far afield to take samples and spray crops etc. A few weeks in I was asked for my drivers licence and I explained I’d only just passed so it hadn’t arrived yet, the boss was horrified but I’d already shown I could do it so they stopped me driving until the licence arrived and then I got back driving straight away! It made me a very confident proficient driver of large vehicles
You can do it, like some pp I like driving long distances with the radio on, just so long as you’re careful you’ll be fine and such a saving on your time.

There's spareroom.com as well

If you hardly drive and then only a short distance why not hire a car and do the journey a couple of days at rush hour and it will give you a better idea? I would avoid 180 mile journey every day personally, your concentration level has to be high even more so if you’re inexperienced. Might be ok if you stay over some time every week and I’d suggest you get an automatic car

It's not the driving itself that's an issue but how will 4 hours a day travelling eat into the rest of your life?

It's not the same as a train journey where you can read and work at the same time.

I wonder if a cheap B&B /Premier Inn would be better for a couple of days and cheaper than all that fuel?

It's doable, but it will be expensive and tiring.
90 miles is highly unlikely to be a 2 hour journey IME.
Google maps can be deceptive.

why can't you live closer ?

If you add up the cost of buying a car, insurance, fuel etc, you may be spending far more in a year than some kind of cheap lodgings.

Your insurance could easily be £2K pa or more as a new driver. Plus the car, plus fuel.

Have you got any quotes for insurance based on a possible car- ie age, size, etc?

You might be shocked at the cost.

@Psych101B

Something else which would worry me would be the question of where you would actually be parking the car.

You've mentioned the alternative to the car being a journey which includes the tube, so suggesting that you will be travelling into London each day.

It's very unlikely that there will be parking for students at the University itself.

she said there is a park and ride close to the uni.

That’s lot of driving, but put some Podcast or Audiobooks etc and it will be fine.

I would imagine you’d be able to. Sounds rubbish though!

I’ve been driving 20+ years and genuinely enjoy driving. But 4 hours a day is get fed up of pretty quickly!

Is there somewhere you can drive to and get a direct bus or train? If your parking at the park and ride anyway you might find a nice train station an hour away (even in the wrong direction. Which might feel less painful than the entire journey by car.

That's a good point.

In that case, it has to be somewhere like Brunel, somewhere which is almost London, but not quite.

I can't think of any constituent colleges of the UoL in Central London where park and ride would be possible.

Actually, now that I have read the earlier posts, it's starting to sound like Surrey.

I think that there is Park and Ride at the Uni in Guildford.

The car journey being described sounds like a nightmare.

It will be exhausting. It isn't necessarily whether you can but whether it is too tiring. Concentrating for two hours in busy traffic is draining. It really isn't a great idea even for an experienced driver.

could you not just drive to the train station and leave the car there (or somewhere around there)?

Also, maybe you could ask around about accommodation when you meet people there, there may be local people or people staying in accommodation that would sublet a room for the overnights?

It’s how tiring that is, rather than about you skills as a driver. As others have said, it’s also dead time. I’d be looking for a room in an Airbnb or cheap travelodge maybe 2 nights a week (or whatever is affordable) to keep the number of journeys down. If you’re a student, would a railcard help with train cost?

Could you stay over in inexpensive accommodation for 1 or 2 nights near the university ? The fuel cost for a journey of 4 hours could well be more expensive than 1 night in an air bnb. You would not be so tired and you could also work in the uni library to get your course work done. The actual course work might be very demanding and after a long drive home you might be too exhausted to do much

A PhD is meant to be demanding (maybe 1st year less so), and driving is exhausting

I think you should trial the train (possibly using uber for part if needed) and driving to see which you prefer - I prefer driving myself having also done a long train commute with changes

Tbh I think you should stay overnight and drive /train 1 or twice a week

I do a long commute and find 2x a week bearable and 3 exhausting to drive … took me a couple of months to get used to it to

really look into the Airbnb option. I am an Airbnb host & have various ‘regulars’ who work in my area so travel - usually staying tue/wed nights

you might find an Airbnb host who gives you a deal for a regular stay on a quiet night, likewise an old fashioned ‘lodging’ - so many people would love to get some ££ for a spare room & have the house back on the weekends

for that I would start to look through friends & family to see if they know anyone in the area as a regular lodger for a night or 2 would be attractive to lots of people who wouldn’t eg airbnb a spare room

I don't know what the family circumstances are where you can't move, but given that on any Uni day you won't be home until late, presumably you can be spared at home a few evenings a week? If so, I would find an arrangement where you can lodge Monday to Wednesday night's- someone earlier mentioned looking on spare room.

Drive there Monday, stay 3 nights, drive home Thursday. 90 miles is too much for any driver each way every day.

You’ve said that it might be difficult to stay over in accommodation due to circumstances at home but could you manage this just once a week. Drive to uni on the 1st day, stay overnight 2nd day in uni drive home. To and from uni
on the 3rd and 4 th day and recover from driving til it starts again the following week

Take the train. It's safer and less exhausting / boring / unpredictable.

Off course you can , when I passed my driving licence quite a few years ago I had to do the same as I had a child already and when back to uni . After 2 days I was an expert on motorway driving despite never being in one . Also gave me the confidence to never being scared so I drive anywhere, uk , abroad , city , country roads etc .
if it’s something you really want go for it .