Woman travels 1,000 miles for driving test because none were available nearby
Emily Doyle felt she had 'no alternative' after struggling for months to book a test.
A student who was struggling to book a driving test locally ended up going to Scotland and paying £150 in travel costs just to get her licence.
Emily Doyle, 22, had to venture all the way to Aberdeen from her home town in Windsor, Berkshire, to take her driving test.
Musical theatre student Emily said she had been trying to book a driving test close to home since passing her theory exam in April.
After trying for ages she hadn’t been able to get one anywhere near her in Berkshire – so decided to look elsewhere.
Because her mother Audrey, 50, is from Aberdeen the pair decided on the Scottish city and Emily booked her test there.
They travelled up to Scotland together late last month and Emily managed to pass her driving test with six minors.
But the trip wasn’t without its challenges – the pair had to spend £150 on fuel costs alone.
They also got caught in flooding from Storm Babet while trying to get to Aberdeen.
Emily said: ‘I’m really relieved I passed. The first thing I did was drive up to university.
‘I think that it paid off. I could have been waiting a year or more for a test near home.
‘I think that it was worth it – but it was a lot of planning and time.’
Audrey said she thinks what they did was ‘very extreme’ but she felt there was ‘no alternative’.
She said: ‘We have been trying to get a test since April and we couldn’t even get a booking or secure a date.
‘We’ve been on the [booking] site when it opens at 6am and Emily bought an app to book cancelled tests.
‘But we’ve never been able to secure a date even six months to a year ahead.
‘You just can’t secure the dates. It’s very frustrating and very extreme – but Emily was determined to take her test.’
Emily and Audrey decided to make a trip of it, so booked to stay in Aberdeen from 22 to 29 October.
They stopped off in Edinburgh and carried on to Aberdeen – but were faced with flooding from Storm Babet along the way and had to take a long detour to get to the city.
Despite the positive outcome of Emily passing her test, the pair said the ordeal stressed them out and they felt frustrated they’d had to make such a long trip.
Audrey said: ‘We’re relieved now she’s passed – she can drive to school, it’s going to be massively helpful, so we’re really pleased.
‘It feels great now that success has been achieved but I underestimated how stressful it would be.
‘We go up to Scotland quite regularly but not to sit tests, when she got there she was really stressed because she didn’t know the roads.
‘It also became increasingly difficult because of Storm Babet which happened days before we left, so the major road to Aberdeen was actually shut.
‘She passed but because of the weather it just rained non-stop there, it was absolutely freezing and very challenging.’
Emily added: ‘I found it quite different to near home – there were less cars on the road which was nice but it’s unfamiliar surroundings so it took a little while to adjust.
‘I practised for a couple of days before but it was a lot to try and adapt to quickly.
‘There’s such a long wait list and it’s better to do it in a place you’re familiar with to take some of the pressure away and because it’s where I’ll be driving now I’ve passed.’
A spokesperson for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said: ‘We are taking all the measures we can to reduce driving test waiting times.
‘The work we’ve been doing to date, along with our examiner recruitment, is already creating over 40,000 extra tests every month.
‘We strongly urge learners only to book their driving test when they are ready to pass.’
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