To have rebooked driving test sooner but in different town?

[noexcuses26]

Son’s driving test was cancelled last minute this week. The new dates sent was for 6 weeks time. He’s ready for the test now. I called up DVSA & they offered another test next week but in a town a couple of miles away. I thought great! But son has not driven there before & there are a couple of tricky roundabouts. Should I have just held out for the one in our town in 6wks time? My view is, if you can drive, you can drive..? My DH thinks I’ve scuppered his chances..

When he's passed is he only going to potter about in the area he learned to drive?

Although I do accept that you want to maximise your chances of passing & familiarity ups the odds.

What does your son think? Can you take him over there to practice.or would his instructor be willing?

Did you ask your son what he wanted?

Is there any chance of him getting some practice in the other area before the new test?

I think familiarity would be helpful.

He was so psyched up to do test & disappointed this week when cancelled, he’s delighted. We have a week to familiarise the route. I totally agree @FlashingFairyLight

I agree with @MCR24 .

You need to take him to drive in the area around the test centre, including those roundabouts. Several times.

Assuming he is comfortable about doing the test in a different location.

He will be at a real disadvantage taking his test in an unfamiliar area. Nearly everyone who fails their driving test is capable of driving, it's generally nerves that get the better of people during a test. My driving instructor took me around test routes for weeks before my test so I knew them like the back of my hand.

We have a week to take him over there pretty much every day (it’s half term)- that should familiarise him. Six weeks feels such a long time to wait & there’s still no guarantees of a pass then is there?

If you’ve got a week to practice driving around the town, that will be good. No guarantees he’d pass in 6 weeks time in your current town anyway, depends what happens on the day and controlling nerves. Good luck!!

When I was taking my driving test (recent - December), there was a lad up from London (we don’t live in London). Needless to say he failed as he wasn’t familiar with the area and the roads are very different. I think if you’ve got a week to familiarise yourself with the roads around the test centre then that gives him the best chance. Good luck! 😊

DD did her driving test in my car so I ended up chatting to the waiting instructors while the test were happening. Two out of three weren’t local because of the difficulties in getting tests these days. They both said they did tests all over and ‘if you can drive, you can drive’. So it’s not uncommon but DD said she would have found it harder as her instructor had warned her about various tricky junctions and potential pitfalls. And the nerves thing matters too. Will it make him more stressed?

I did exactly the same and passed my test in an unfamiliar town to get a quicker test date - it's true that if you can drive, you can drive. All that said a test is a stressful situation so take him out for a few runarounds in the unfamiliar town so that he gets a bit more accustomed to the road layout beforehand.

It is over 35 years ago but I took my test on unfamiliar roads as I didn’t live near the test center and passed.

Go for it. Try to get a few drives around just to settle his nerves.

I was at a driving test centre yesterday and one poor person failed before they left their parking space. Pulled out without looking right and the examiner had to intervene to stop an accident. Whole thing was over in less that 30 seconds....

Definitely doesn’t hurt to try, as long as you can afford a fail financially. I failed several times (very recently) due to nerves, and finally passed at a different test centre on totally unknown roads. I’d had a few lessons there to familiarise myself, and thought I knew what to expect, but on the day the town centre was gridlocked due to an accident so we went on roads I had never done with my instructor.

If he has a regular instructor, ask if you can book a lesson in the other area, or at least for any hotspots to be familiar with.

If he cannot drive in an unfamiliar location under directional guidance then he is not ready to Pass. Once he has passed he will be on his own including driving in nighttime conditions.

Why are you doing this? If he's not capable of booking his own test, he really shouldn't be driving a car!

Because family members help each other out on occasion?

Find out where the tricky junctions and roundabouts are and take him on a dry run or two,

There's an app called Driving Test Routes which costs about £13 for a month.
It will have the routes the driving testers use.
It's a little bit glitchy but much better than driving around aimlessly.

Between now and the test just go to where the test is for a drive around. I wouldn’t wait another six weeks.

We had this. Couldn’t get a test in our town so booked in the next town. We spent two weekends driving round and round so he was familiar. Instructors gave me some tips about likely test routes. Also booked a two hour lesson with instructor the day before the test which was in the test town. He passed.

It’s good to be confident driving out of your local area but you may have to dedicate your weekend and maybe a couple of evenings to it. Best of luck to him.

I had to do this almost 20 years to avoid a long (at the time!) wait.

It was my 3rd test and I passed. I think it helped not knowing the roads as I was forced to concentrate so much. I was focused on what was actually happening rather than anticipating familiar junctions/lights etc

Good luck!

Of course it's fine. We live very rurally, our nearest test centre is a long way off (over 45 mins) and my ds test there was over 6 months away. We got another earlier test in znother place, equally far away, and I committed to driving around that place with him the entire weekend, and I mean all day. He was fine. He passed.

There was a tricky roundabout and a complicated bridge where I took my test. Both came up in the test.

The roundabout was one where if you didn't already know it was there, you'd drive straight ahead instead of around it.

Oh behave. He is studying hard for a-levels, has a Saturday job & does his fair share round the house. He’s more than capable of sorting it out himself but I have time in my day to help him organise these things and I love him. Why wouldn’t I?!

Years ago admittedly, but I took my test in a different town. I had a couple of lessons in Farnborough including driving there and back so not long in the actual town. There was no stipulated exam route either so it was pot luck whether you chose the right one to practice in. I agree with you if you can drive you can do it anywhere.