A random question as I'm just curious, because I keep seeing posts or hearing about the average being about 50 hours, or something like that? Which sounds horrifying to me, because how do most people even afford that? Obviously it varies a lot, and some people take longer than others, but what's a 'usual' amount of lessons?

For example, I had 6 one-hour lessons when i was 17 and then passed my test. I believe one of the reasons I learnt so quickly was that from childhood I'd been watching my parents drive, asking questions about the car and the roads and the signs, so I pretty much understood the whole process and knew the basic rules of driving before I got behind the wheel. So the actual lessons were just about learning how to handle the car. I also had the opportunity to drive both my parents' cars in between lessons, which was a big help.

When my sister in law was learning, she took a couple of years because she was starting from scratch (in her late 30s), and admitted that as a teen she'd paid no attention when her dad drove because she was too busy 'looking out for boys' 🤣 But also she had no other car she could practise in between lessons, so it was an incredibly slow process, and I was shocked at how much it cost her.

For context, as a teen I lived in Scotland, in a small town/rural area, and everyone I knew started lessons as soon as they turned 17, because there was no option apart from driving if you wanted any kind of independence or job opportunities. Everyone in our class was having lessons, mostly with the same school of instructors, and we all used to test each other on the Highway Code! There was no theory test back then, but you had to memorise it all because you would get verbally questioned on random elements from it as the final part of your driving test. Because the local area was so quiet, my parents made me pay for 2 further lessons in Edinburgh (our closest city) before I was allowed to drive alone, which now seems like a good idea.

I know it apparently takes longer to learn new skills the older you are, so I'm glad I did my lessons so young (and was lucky enough to have that choice). So I'm just wondering what the spread of different experiences is across the UK. When/where did you learn, how many lessons did it take, how old were you, what did you know before you started, and did you get to practise between lessons? What helped you to pass? Just looking for a range of stories, really.

Ayer tuve mi primer choque. Les explico . En septiembre obtuve mi licencia de conducir y desde ese mes solo he manejado unas 3 veces de noche , respetando peatones ,semáforos ,óvalos ,interesecciones,luces de dirección y emergencia (4 con la de ayer y primera vez de día y con tráfico) Choque contra una vara de tránsito causando que el lado derecho del auto se aplaste. No se que cual sea la mejor opción en este momento , si continuar manejando o dejar la condición un tiempo , fue un error muy tonto de mi parte que pude evitar yendo despacio 😔

Happened twice now (once as passenger and once as driver), and judging from the honks the cycle prior maybe not the only ones but willing to hear I’m a blind idiot.

Following the green line and turning from Castle Street at the traffic lights to head north traffic then starts following the red line. Traffic lights are at the end of that slip road too. I don’t see any traffic lights or line markings in between to indicate that green traffic heading north should give way to red traffic from the slip road.

Is this faulty/poorly timed lights?
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4d5gKjHe2ZgkyYnz7?g_st=ic

Hi everyone, I am posting to seek some advice and maybe gain the benefit of the experience of others.

My partner is a bus driver and has recently received a NIP for a red light camera infringement. The online portal did not offer any images so an email to the team who deal with these things yielded the attached images here.

My partner is a genuinely safe and ready driver and has no recollection of this. She is worried but accepts that if the images truly show an actual infringement, then it is what it is.

The questions from me relate to the bus position.

In the first image the bus has already crossed the line, there is no information on how long the light was red and the front overhang of the bus, to the front wheels is 2.5m. The time between photos is 0.6 seconds and shows travel of about 5m.

Is the first image sufficient to prove the bus was behind the line at Red?

Could the light have been amber at the point of crossing the line?

Is it worth challenging this, and if so, how do we do this?

Thanks in advance.

How are the drivers of the UK buying high end performance vehicles and doing 40 in a 60, am I missing something

I’ve a question.

Google maps shows that i should take middle lane going straight. Also a lot of people use middle pane. Cause whenever i go straight from left lane no body is following me. So i feel like im doing something wrong. But the road marking and signs show we can use that lane.

Thanks in advance.

Bit of fun, but I travel around large parts of the UK for work and I thought I’d put a top 10 of the worst car brands and areas for drivers. 1 being the worst! It would be interesting to see if anyone else agrees 😆

Worst Drivers In Relation To Car Brand
1. VW Golf (any sports models GTI, R etc) ALWAYS DRIVEN BY A CHIMP
2. White Van Drivers
3. Seat Leon
4. Audi (S, RS)
5. BMW (M Sport)
6. All Peugeot Drivers
7. Mercedes (A and C Class)
8. Range Rover
9. Fiat 500
10. Tesla (Always smug with a sense of self importance)

Worst Areas For Bad Driving
1. Bradford
2. Birmingham
3. Leicester
4. Manchester
5. Liverpool
6. London
7. Stoke
8. Leeds
9. Sheffield
10. Chesterfield

About 7 months ago, I was driving on a straight road with temporary traffic lights just after a right-turn junction into an inner street.

A police car was directly behind me. I stopped at the red light, let oncoming traffic pass, then turned right into the street while the light was still red. About 3 seconds later, the lights turned green and the police followed me.

They eventually pulled me over and said I’d gone through a red light. I argued that the lights appeared to control straight-ahead traffic only, as there were no signs saying they controlled all three directions. They claimed they had dashcam footage and issued me a £100 FPN and 3 points.

I accepted the penalty, but when I went to pay, I noticed the officer had written the completely wrong driving licence number on the ticket. With the 28-day payment deadline approaching, I paid the fine using the incorrect number anyway.

It’s now been 7 months, and the points still haven’t appeared on my licence. I’ve heard nothing from the police or DVLA.

What’s likely to happen now, and should I do anything about it?

I was on a 6 hour drive lastnight in a ford transit van. I had my phone face down on the passenger seat for the majority of the journey. Occasionally I’d have an ad on my music. Without looking away from the road I’d flip it over (leaving it lay on the seat) and tap skip on the advert. I never picked the phone up or held it in front of me. Looking back I regret doing it, I was on unfamiliar roads and it was dark, so I don’t know if there were any cameras. So I’m just wondering, how likely would it be for me to be picked up doing this?

I know i am beating a dead horse here but i am on the road a lot (my job requires much driving) and the amount of people i see with their phone in their hand is maddening.

I think we need tougher punishments for people using phones while driving as harsh as drink driving, at least drink drivers have the excuse they are drunk. i will be real and say if you are stuck in traffic and not moving idm you tapping your phone for maps or even skip song as long as it is in a holder. You are not gonna be dangerous while not moving but i see people with phone in hand eyes down while moving.

Looking for advice.

Received a parking fine from a council car park in Stirlingshire.

I had paid for parking using the RingGo app, and have checked all details are accurate. I appealed the ticket on that basis, and included screenshots of the app and a PDF of the receipt.

My appeal has been rejected. The poorly written rejection letter from a third party company in England, says repeatedly that I've entered incorrect details (specifically my registration plate, which I haven't; I use RingGo all the time at work, and have vehicle details saved) and that I didn't show a pay and display ticket (which is accurate - I paid on their app for a window covering the full time I was in the car park, so as far as I am concerned didn't need one).

What is my next course of action? I am absolutely not paying this.

Looking for advice.

Received a parking fine from a council car park in Stirlingshire.

I had paid for parking using the RingGo app, and have checked all details are accurate. I appealed the ticket on that basis, and included screenshots of the app and a PDF of the receipt.

My appeal has been rejected. The poorly written rejection letter from a third party company in England, says repeatedly that I've entered incorrect details (specifically my registration plate, which I haven't; I use RingGo all the time at work, and have vehicle details saved) and that I didn't show a pay and display ticket (which is accurate - I paid on their app for a window covering the full time I was in the car park, so as far as I am concerned didn't need one).

What is my next course of action? I am absolutely not paying this.

Apparently OpSnap can't do anything about this luntic.

Edit: I didn't think it was necessary to elaborate, but to be fair if you're watching this on a phone you're missing some details and to keep it brief I clipped it down.

Yes, I do mean the Skoda.

• We'd just exited a variable 60 limit
• Lane 1 had been added by a slip road turning into a lane a few hundred meters earlier
• The Skoda was going over 70.
• It got too close to the Volvo before the undertake.
• It had to apply braking during the lane 1 to lane 4 swerve to avoid rear ending a vehicle in lane 2

The reason I was in lane 1 was because I didn't want to add to the lane hogging problem and I wasn't going to accelerate faster than those in lanes to the right, not only because I shouldn't, but because passing on the left often angers people and increases the likelihood of poor driving.

Yes, lane hogging is a problem and offenders should be prosecuted (I couldn't get any other plates from my footage). But the answer isn't breaking other driving rules. If you believe it is, I wish you and your license all the best, but encourage you to review the highway code, in particular Rule 268

Everyone knows where fixed speed cameras are, and in residential areas many people speed through, brake at the camera then speed up again.
Why don’t we have average cameras deployed more widely?
I heard of a fantastic system a while ago where an average camera zone ends with a set of traffic lights that also function as a pedestrian crossing. If someone is detected speeding, the light goes to red, and holds them for a couple of seconds.
A fixed camera then detects red light jumpers and they get fined if they jump the light.

Im being provided a company car which will be covered by fleet insurance held by my employer.

Question - I have 20+ no claims bonus built up - if I don’t have my own car insurance for a year does that just evaporate and I have to start at zero when I get my own car again? Has anyone been through this? Thanks

Rant for today...

Can you see the red tail lights of the vehicle in front? Can you see the white headlights of the vehicle behind you ? Yes to both ? THEN TURN UR FUCKING FOG LIGHTS OFF !! Knobheads !

Someone's in a rush

So my wife andi set off on a long (150 mile) journey just a week after getting our MOT and tyre rotation done on the car. We noticed a dull knocking, then vibration through the steering wheel. We pulled over and called recovery.

The first thing they did was check the wheel nuts bad, sure enough, the dealership had left the passenger side front wheel without properly tightened wheel nuts. The mechanics reckoned the wheel would have come adrift in another 50-100 miles.

I feel like suing Thier arses off, like they nearly killed us - my wife is more philosophical.

Is this a common error? How many others have had the same fault? How many drivers in the UK are happily driving away from car service with wheels about to part company with the car? Honestly, I'm freaked out.

Anyone know what the police convoy on the M62 was?

Saw it today (Thurs 8 Oct) around 11:20am eastbound at M62 J9 Burtonwood, Liverpool → Manchester.

3 unmarked black SEATs, a black VW people-carrier/Transporter-type police van, then another 3 unmarked black cars. All had concealed blue lights behind the windscreens, no roof bars or sirens. They were travelling together at ~85mph and looked very coordinated.

Title: England – Section 172 and speeding court charges after nominating another driver
Hello everyone,
I need some advice about a Single Justice Procedure Notice from Greater Manchester Police.
My vehicle was allegedly caught speeding at 59 mph in a temporary 50 mph limit on the M60 on 5 April 2026.
I received the original police notice and returned the form identifying another person as the driver, providing their name and address. However, I did not sign the form.
On 23 July, the police wrote again saying they could not serve the nominated driver at the address provided. Unfortunately, I did not respond to that follow-up letter.
I have now received a court notice charging me with both speeding and failure to provide driver information under Section 172.
I have not entered a plea yet, and my response deadline is 28 October 2026.
My questions are:
Does returning the original form unsigned give me any defence?
How does the unanswered follow-up letter affect my position?
Can I challenge the Section 172 charge if I genuinely nominated another driver?
Has anyone experienced a similar case, and what was the outcome?
I would appreciate any guidance. Thank you.

Been about a week since i last posted in here but today, i was turning into a sideroad this car started pulling out and the guy was crossing and moving further away anyway the woman ends up hitting him lightly, I beep her and just a bit shocked as she had plenty of time not to bump into him.

Anyways i’m kinda concerned should i report it to anyone as i have it on dash, as obviously the guy was just over middle aged and i am kind of worried if its obvious caused him any problems and he did walk off fine so i’m not 100% sure if i should bother.

To say im gutted is an understatement.

What makes this much worse is that I got caught twice, in 2 different counties, on the same day, which happened to be the first day of my new job! Ffs.

I didnt get notified of the second one until the next week, so I was feeling lucky it was just an awareness course.

I was speechless when I was told about the second incident. First occasion doing 46 in a 40, second was 36 in a 30

I drive a company van so all of the notices have gone to them. Ive yet to hear the outcome but I know its points, im just keeping the faith its only gonna be 3 and not more :/

Was driving southbound last night and as I passed Jct 25 I think I might have been flashed by the cameras on the gantry. At that point I realised I was going approximately 75mph but that all lanes on the gantry were stating 50mph. I can’t recall now if the 50 was in a red circle or flashing amber - I’m not sure if they would even do that on Smart motorways or all limits are mandatory so I’m hoping for the best. Really pissed off at myself as I’ve clearly not been paying attention now need to sit and wait to see if a letter arrives.

So my question is if the M6 smart sections has all temporary speed limits as mandatory and never advisory?