After you pass your test
Congratulations, you’ve got your full licence! Enjoy your new freedom but remember that passing your driving test does not mean you know everything there is to know about driving.
The statistics tell us that new drivers are most likely to be involved in incidents on the road during their first year of driving unsupervised, so have a look at the Safety code for new drivers on GOV.UK. It’s designed to help keep you safe after you pass your test.
Developing driving skills after your test
Although you’ve learned the skills required to pass your driving test, your experience in certain conditions will be limited.
However, now that you have a full licence you can start to develop more advanced driving skills. There are a number of different ways to do this:
- practicing with an experienced driver
- taking extra training. See our further training advice for more information.
- reading official DVSA resources
- following campaigns on Think! Road Safety.
You will continue to learn throughout your lifetime of driving. You should practice self-reflection to make sure you understand how situations arise and try not to repeat any mistakes you make.
The Official DVSA Guide to Driving: the essential skills
The Official DVSA Guide to Better Driving
Think! - Travel Like You Know Them
Additional practice
If you did not have the chance to drive on a motorway when you were learning to drive, you may find additional practice driving on motorways useful.
Also additional practice in difficult weather conditions and at night can help develop your driving skills.
Ask your instructor for extra lessons, so that you continue to develop your skills and experience.
Driving with friends
It’s great being able to drive with your friends, but make sure you keep concentrating on your driving. If your friends want you to do something that could be dangerous, remember that you’re responsible for your driving: if you speed or drive recklessly or carelessly, you could end up with penalty points on your licence or cause a serious incident.
If you get 6 or more penalty points on your licence within 2 years of passing your practical test, you’ll:
- lose your licence
- have to reapply for your provisional licence
- have to retake your theory and practical tests. Find out more about the new drivers' rules at GOV.UK.
If your passengers are making it difficult for you to drive safely:
- find somewhere safe to stop.
- if you cannot drive safely, do not carry on with your journey.
Drink driving
Being able to drive makes it easier for you to go out for a drink or to a party with friends. It’s only fair to take it in turns to be the driver, but having that job means it’s your responsibility to make sure you can drive safely – and that includes not drinking any alcohol.
A third of drink-drive crashes involve a driver under 25. Find out more about drinking and driving.
Safe driving for life
Finally, never stop learning and developing as a driver. While you will gain in experience you need to be self-aware to guard against bad habits creeping in.
Your emotions and mental and physical wellbeing will vary sometimes, presenting you with new challenges. Be careful this doesn't affect your decision making or behaviour when you're driving.
And technology will certainly change the way vehicles and roads are connected and operated.
So keep up to date with The Highway Code, bookmark Safe Driving for Life to check in for new content, and keep improving so you can enjoy safe driving with confidence.