Taking Driving Lesson and your Driving Test in Stevenage

This is a look at taking your driving lesson and driving test in Stevenage. We look at the area, test centre, waiting list, complex junctions you may encounter and examiners.

I have been teaching in Stevenage for around four years and as a qualified driving instructor I have given lessons in many places from Wolverhampton to Watford so I have a broad knowledge of several test centres in England.

Stevenage driving test centre is located at  3 Draper Way Stevenage SG1 3DT and has been there for many years, the most unusual thing you will encounter at Stevenage test centre is its car park; it has a token system and is used by the general public. For the purpose of the driving test there is a free 15 minutes allowance for learners using the car park whether this is on test day or to practice for the big day. It is a part of the test that everyone will encounter as all tests start and finish in the car park, so our 1^st tip is to practice this car park regularly on your driving lessons as it can be tricky for an inexperienced driver, you should also practice reversing out of the bays in the car park because when the car park is busy it can be difficult to see other traffic.

Starting your driving lesson in Stevenage is not as big an ordeal as you may think, Stevenage is blessed with some very easy beginner roads for learners to start their training, these are mostly located around the Pin Green area of Stevenage and makes a great place for any beginner to start their driving lessons. These roads are usually quiet and are wide, two things that really help when you first start. Our 2nd tip is to master this area as it can really help you to succeed in a quiet relaxed environment before you venture further. 

After you have mastered turning left and right in the Pin Green area next step is to tackle what Stevenage is renowned for, roundabouts. They come in all shapes and sizes from mini roundabouts with just two exits up to spiral roundabouts with six exits. It takes considerable practice to master roundabouts from which way you are going to which lane to approach in to judging your speed and speed of all the other road users you may encounter. Tip 3 don’t try to run before you can walk with roundabouts start by turning left master that first and then move on but remember there are a huge variety of roundabouts so take your time and practice, practice and more practice.

Next we are going to encounter lots of dual carriageways these are relatively easy, but remember when you want to turn right at the next roundabout you will need to change lanes, not so easy on faster moving road. It will take time to judge the speed of others behind and will need considerable practice to master with confidence, here’s our next tip number 4: remember usually slowing down when changing lanes can make things more difficult (though sometimes necessary).   

Several test routes in Stevenage encounter country roads, this is something you will need to do on your driving lesson in and around Stevenage. They have their own challenges, they tend to be very narrow and often have a poor views and pot holes.

Like most test centres in England, Stevenage test centre has some junctions you must practice. The most difficult junction you may encounter is the spiral roundabout under the A1M at junction 8, you must practice this with your driving instructor, it is used on some of the test and routes, one of the things that makes this junction extra difficult is that the road markings are rubbed out from the constant use and the fact that it is a spiral roundabout makes it twice as hard. There are many other junctions that need practice but on the whole Stevenage is a good place to take your driving test, in the day times there is usually only light traffic which is a great bonus.

In the past there were horror stories about examiners in Stevenage but now a days you will find a friendly human approach. The DVLA have worked hard on making all their examiners approachable and for the examiners to put the candidate attending their driving test at ease and you will find just that at Stevenage driving test centre.

We hope you found our blog useful and hope it has put your mind a rest if you are considering taking driving lessons in Stevenage, if you have any questions you can contact me at bellscars@gmail.com.

Steve.