© Image Copyright Martin Pearman and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
King’s Lynn is a particularly popular area for new pupils looking to learn how to drive not only due to its close proximity to not one but three major cities; Norwich, Peterborough and Cambridge. Being a thriving commuter town, hundreds of learners take their driving test here at King’s Lynn each year with 48.7% of pupils passing 1st time which beats the national UK average of 45%.
If you are considering completing an intensive driving course in King’s Lynn, here are a few snippets of what you would expect to find when taking a driving test here:
1) The Test Centre – The Kings Lynn test centre is situated within the Hardwick Industrial estate as well as being within close proximity to both the town centre and local hospital. Therefore, you may come across traffic particularly at peak times and may also have the possibility of encountering some emergency vehicles whilst on your test. Although, your examiner will try to avoid this as much as possible.
2) What am I likely to encounter – King’s Lynn is surrounded by several busy ‘A’ roads and dual carriageways including the A149, A47 and A17 any of which may come up during your test as well as standard residential roads. The area also contains several tricky roundabouts, the most notorious being the Southgate roundabout. This roundabout is known to be particularly difficult because it is relatively small in size but contains 5 separate exits. Lane discipline, signalling and observation will be key here!
3) Will Covid affect my test? – Like the rest of the UK, King’s Lynn has also introduced new measures when completing a test at its test centre. When completing your driving test, you must do the following:
- All pupils must wear a face covering unless you have a good reason not to this can be for example having an illness, disability or impairment which means that you cannot wear, put on or remove a face covering. However, you will have to make the DVSA aware of this beforehand. If you arrive on test without a face covering and do not have a good reason, it is possible that they will cancel your test.
- When on your test, at least one window of the car must be open on each side. So, it may be best to wear thick clothing, particularly on a cold winter’s day!
- When arriving at the test centre, you must ensure that your test vehicle is cleaned before the examiner enters with any miscellaneous items removed.
- If you were to make a serious driver fault whilst on your test which unfortunately means that you have failed the test, the examiner will now direct you immediately back to the test centre rather than continuing until the end of the test.
Whilst some test centres in the UK have re-opened their waiting rooms, at the moment, the waiting room at the King’s Lynn test centre remains closed. But don’t panic, you will still be able to use the toilet facilities upon request. Although, Covid has affected the driving test to a degree, it has not changed the fundamental aspects which you will be tested on or the test routes which you will take.
Our instructors in the King’s Lynn area are experienced and have been teaching for many years, they will ensure that you are confident before taking you to test. If you are interested in learning to drive in King’s Lynn, please do not hesitate to contact us either by phone or via an online enquiry and we will be happy to help!