From Retirement to Full Licence
Les achieves a first-time pass at Currie
Les, from the Morningside area of Edinburgh, got in touch about learning to drive after recently retiring. With more free time available, he decided it was the perfect opportunity to gain his driving licence—something he hadn’t felt the need for in previous years thanks to living centrally, having access to public transport, and his wife being able to drive.
Les had done a little driving many years ago but had never taken a test, so our goal was to build on his existing knowledge, fill in any gaps, and bring everything up to test standard.
On our first lesson, it was clear that Les had some strong foundational skills we could work with. From there, we created a structured plan to guide his progress. Les approached every lesson with enthusiasm, asking plenty of questions and making sure he fully understood each part of the process. That attention to detail made a real difference.
Before long, we introduced a mock driving test to see how he would perform under pressure. As is often the case, it went well in parts but also highlighted a few key areas to refine. Les took this on board and stayed focused on improving those final details.
After preparing thoroughly, Les faced a long wait for a test date—around six months. When test day finally arrived, everything was in place… but unfortunately, just hours before the test, he received an email to say it had been cancelled due to examiner availability. A very frustrating situation, especially when he was fully prepared.
Thankfully, a new date was arranged for three weeks later, and we were both available. This time, everything went ahead as planned.
On the day of the test, I collected Les early and we went out for a final warm-up drive. He was calm, focused, and driving well. After arriving at the Currie test centre, Les met his examiner and headed out.
Around 40 minutes later, he returned with the news we had been working towards—a first-time pass.
A fantastic achievement and a great example that it’s never too late to learn a new skill.
Well done, Les 🚗
