Our bookings team are often asked questions about learning to drive or taking a driving test while being pregnant, ranging from whether you’ll have to do the emergency stop to what happens if you start going into labour during the driving test.
Can you learn to drive whilst being pregnant?
Yes, you can. We have many pregnant ladies learning to drive every year at driveJohnson’s – many at the start of their pregnancy and some just a few weeks before expecting. There is no black and white written rule that someone who’s pregnant should stop learning to drive at a certain stage of the pregnancy. For those of you reading this who have been pregnant in the past, you probably know that everyone copes with pregnancy differently. Many can be very active, still working weeks before the birth of their child while others have extreme hormonal changes which affects them more than others.
The highway code doesn’t mention much about driving or learning to drive when pregnant but, to keep it simple, you should be fit and able. If you are taking any medication that may affect your driving, then you must follow the guidelines listed on the label and, if necessary, stop driving while it could have an effect on your driving.
Can you take your driving test if pregnant?
You can take your driving test while pregnant. Again, following on from the above, as long as you feel fit and able and you’re not on any medication that affects your driving, then you can. You should go with how you feel physically and mentally – if you feel stressed and your anxiety levels are higher during your pregnancy, you may want to think twice about booking your test.
Will you be asked to do the emergency stop when pregnant?
The driving test will remain the same for everyone, regardless of whether they are pregnant are not. It may seem unfair that pregnant people are not exempt from the emergency stop but by not doing it, a very critical area of driving cannot be tested. Hopefully, you’ll never have to do an emergency stop, but it is an essential skill that everyone should know.
The chances of doing the exercise on a driving test is 1 in 4. You will be expected to brake firm and hard, as if a child had run out into the road. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this when pregnant, then you might want to reconsider taking the driving test. Don’t worry, as long as as long as you take the right safety measures and wear your seatbelt correctly, you and baby will be fine. Here’s how to correctly wear a seatbelt when pregnant:
- Place the seatbelt so it goes diagonally across your body as you would normally, however, make sure it goes between both breasts. Try to keep it flat against the breast bone. The top of the strap shouldn’t lay across your neck, but around your shoulder.
- Always ensure the lap strap is as low as possible, so below your bump rather than on it. You should feel the seatbelt against the top of your thighs and hips. Make sure there are no kinks in the seat belt too.
What happens if you start giving birth on your driving test?
If you start to feel contractions during your driving test, you should notify the driving examiner. We would recommend you have your mobile phone with you during your test, though put away and switched off.
The examiner would usually abort the driving test. At this point, the examiner would have to walk back to the test centre to notify your instructor of the location of you and the car – this could take a while.
If you have a mobile phone with you, you may want to ring close family and arrange for them to meet you or, if things are developing quickly, you may want to call an ambulance.
It would be wise to have your driving instructor sit in the back of the test, so if anything should happen, they’ll be there straight away and will be able to drive you to the hospital or where you need to go.
The driving examiners are not trained to assist in giving birth – you can expect them to be sympathetic and understanding but in the interests of health and safety, they should stick to the rules set by the DVSA.
Lastly, you should also consider where the nearest hospital is. For example, if you’re taking your driving lessons in Oxford, then you have a hospital nearby. However, living out in some rural areas, sometimes your nearest hospital can be up to 1 hour away.
True story…
‘I took my driving test when I was 7 months pregnant. My husband works away a lot and driving almost became essential when I found out I was pregnant. I started learning to drive at the beginning of my pregnancy and coped pretty well during the lessons. However, during the test, I started to hyperventilate at the beginning. The examiner was very kind and understanding and spoke very calmly.
He said, “take your time, only drive away when you feel comfortable. Take some deep breaths, try and relax and when you’re ready, you can start the test.”
Knowing he was so calm and didn’t rush me really helped. I spent a few minutes getting myself together, then began. I managed to pass my test thanks to my instructor Kevin Hale. The examiner was really helpful that day too.’
