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Difficulty: HardDriving Licence Basics and Requirements

A motorist holds a full Category B driving licence that is restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission. What statutory steps must they take before they are legally permitted to drive a manual transmission car unaccompanied on public roads?

  1. A
    They must surrender their existing licence and retake both the theory test and the practical driving test from the beginning.
  2. They must treat their licence as provisional for manual cars, display 'L' plates whilst supervised, and pass the manual practical driving test.Answer
  3. C
    They are automatically granted full manual entitlement once they have held their automatic licence for two continuous years.
  4. D
    They only need to send a written notification to the DVLA requesting the transmission restriction code to be removed from their photocard.

Answer

They must treat their licence as provisional for manual cars, display 'L' plates whilst supervised, and pass the manual practical driving test.
Under UK driver licensing law, holding a full Category B licence with an automatic transmission restriction (code 78) gives the holder provisional entitlement to drive manual cars. The driver does not need to retake the theory test, but they must comply with all provisional licence conditions (displaying 'L' plates, being supervised by an eligible driver) and pass the practical driving test in a manual vehicle to gain full manual entitlement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the existing entitlement and restriction on the driving licence.
The driver holds a full Category B licence restricted to automatic transmission vehicles (indicated by code 78 on the photocard).
Understanding the baseline entitlement determines what provisional privileges the driver already holds.
2
Apply Great Britain driver licensing regulations regarding upgrading from automatic to manual entitlement.
A full automatic car licence acts as a provisional licence for manual vehicles. The driver is exempt from taking the car theory test again.
Statutory rules allow automatic licence holders to practice in manual vehicles under standard learner conditions.
3
Determine the required legal conditions for practising and obtaining the upgrade.
The driver must display red 'L' plates (or 'D' plates in Wales), be accompanied by a qualified supervising driver, and successfully pass the Category B practical driving test in a manual car.
Unaccompanied driving in a manual vehicle remains illegal until the practical competence assessment is passed.

Key Concept

Upgrading an automatic Category B licence to a full manual licence requires adhering to provisional supervision rules and passing the manual practical driving test without retaking the theory test.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Driving Licence Basics and Requirements

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