Going Legit

You are only allowed to drive for one year in the UK with a non-EU driver's license. After that, you're supposed to either stop driving or get a UK license. We've been here for longer than a year, so we're obviously living beyond the bounds of the law. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just trading my American driver's license for a UK license. I have to go through the same procedure that a new driver has to go through. That is, apply for a provisional license (learner's permit), take a theory test, and then a practical driving test. When you have a provisional license you have to have a Learner sticker on the front and back of your car and any time you drive you have to have someone with you who has had a full license for at least 3 years. You're not allowed to drive at night or on the motorway. Let's just say, we've been flaunting these "provisions" quite brazenly. An L sticker just doesn't look good on a BMW! We don't drive very often and in the event of being pulled over, I will show my US license and play dumb. [In a Texan accent, "Sorry officer? I can't drive over here with this license? I'm terribly sorry. I'll drive right home and park it, officer. Nope, won't happen again. Have a nice day!"

Anyway, I'm in the process of making things right, of going legit with a UK license. I have my provisional license (with the customary horrible photo) and I have booked my theory test for next Thursday at 8:30am. For the past few weeks, I've been reading the Highway Code book and a couple of "Pass Your Theory Test" books. Not doing too bad on the sample questions, though I'm not completely without a worry. You have to get 30 out of 35 questions correct. I should be fine, but historically, I don't test well. Even in subjects that I am fairly knowledgeable about. Aside from the theory questions, there's a section in which you have to watch a bunch of clips to test your hazard perception. I'm fairly confident I can pass that without too much trouble because I've been driving for about 12 years and I'm actually a pretty good driver, if I do say so myself (and I do).

Well, a week from now, I'll either be moving on to my practical test or having to book a re-take of the theory test. Keep your fingers crossed for me!