Licensing

[sinkoman]

I takes my licensing test tomorrow HL2.net

Wish me luck D:

 

[Teta_Bonita]

Whatever you do, DON'T SWERVE INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC!

I know this from experience you see.

(And good luck )

 

[Cormeh]

American test? Piece of piss. How can you possibly fail?

 

[sinkoman]

American test? Piece of piss. How can you possibly fail?

I agree, I did 3 or 4 preliminary runs of the course, and the course itself and the testing criteria are insanely simple...

But the thing is that whether or not you pass is really up to the tester. Doesn't have all that much to do with whether or not you can actually drive well, if you end up with a tester that's in a bad mood, then you're in for hell, while if you've got a guy that's had his coffee, you could practically run the reds and still pass.

A friend of mine failed simply because the lady he got preferred that he wait 3 seconds at stop signs instead of 2. 2 Seconds is what's taught in driving school :|

I know some folks have failed because they went with the flow of traffic, when the flow was over the speed limit, and others that have failed because they drove the speed limit, when traffic was moving quicker than the speed limit.

 

[Cormeh]

That's a fair point, I've heard some horror stories with generally grumpy examiners. The guy that passed me was a nice chap who swore at a taxi when I got overtaken in a high street. \o/

 

[Unfocused]

What are the American criteria, that makes it so simple?

BTW, I thought you have to stop before a STOP sign, as in come to a complete halt, and then you can drive on if there's no oncoming traffic; not stop and wait.

 

[sinkoman]

What are the American criteria, that makes it so simple?

BTW, I thought you have to stop before a STOP sign, as in come to a complete halt, and then you can drive on if there's no oncoming traffic; not stop and wait.

You're supposed to stop, sit for 2 seconds, and then if your view is obstructed by a parked car or something, roll forward a bit till you can see properly, wait 2 more seconds, and THEN you can go.

I assume that the wait is to prevent you from nailing any pedestrians that run into the street last minute after they see you stop.

The American test basically has you taking a drive around the block, parking once or twice, and that's it...

 

[Qonfused]

The American test basically has you taking a drive around the block, parking once or twice, and that's it...

>_>

Not for mine. Mine was rather rigorous compared to other stories I've heard from my friends. The parking section was a ****ing bitch. I pulled like up to the taped line like six inches short and she took two points off (max of six points able to be taken off, after that you fail, along with other instant-fail stipulations like head on collisions, those bitches). The road portion wasn't too bad, you just have to over-do all of your motions so she can tell. When the test was finished, she said I never signaled while switching lanes. But I did. I did the half signal thing where it doesn't lock and I did it for only a couple clicks. She must've not heard. Make sure to exaggerate your mirror checks too. Though, I guess the lady wasn't too bad; I completely failed the parallel parking portion (would should have counted as an entire fail) but she passed me anyway.

Anyway, good luck. Just make sure to be very thorough.

 

[sinkoman]

Wow, i've got 15 points before I fail D:

But I believe they mark you in 5 point increments, so..

I'm taking my test in the suburbs though, so as I said, the course is basically just driving around the neighborhood and parking.

 

[Unfocused]

Wow, i've got 15 points before I fail D:

But I believe they mark you in 5 point increments, so..

I'm taking my test in the suburbs though, so as I said, the course is basically just driving around the neighborhood and parking.

Sounds easy indeed.

Here you have to go into a turn and reverse from without crossing some painted lines and hitting any cones. Then you have to drive halfway up a rather steep ramp, stop, pull the handbrake and then release the handbrake and drive up the ramp without rolling down further than 20cm after releasing the brake.

If you do that correctly, you're allowed to proceed to the next phase of the test: driving in city traffic for approximately 45 minutes. And that's not in the suburbs, but in the city itself, with roundabouts etc. (if the city has them of course). You've also got to do a manouver (or 2, not sure) randomly picked by the tester, like different types of parking or turning the car around by reversing into a free space and going the opposite direction, which is what I had to do.

Each time I see someone driving in a car with the 'driving test' label, I feel sorry for them.

 

[Glirk Dient]

I wouldn't say it's necessarily easier in the U.S. I would say it depends on the examiner. Around here they are very very strict. As in if you do something other than put your seatbelt on when you get in the car you fail. If you don't signal going out of park you fail. When turning if you turn into the second lane you fail. The examiners will also try to trick you so you have to pay very close attention to all of the signs as they can get confusing and you will fail if you mess up any of those. I however got extremely lucky with my examiner and I think I only messed up which direction my wheels were facing on a hill park and I still passed. I think he had enough points to fail me but he was in a good mood.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I'm glad I don't drive and don't plan to! Nevertheless, good luck.

 

[Tyguy]

I'm glad I don't drive and don't plan to! Nevertheless, good luck.

Why don't you and why wont you?

 

[Sulkdodds]

- It's expensive
- It's a hassle
- I don't need to because both Bright-towne and Oxford are small enough to walk around
- If I ever need to get to London or another faraway town I use lifts from friends or parents, or take the train
- It's pollutey

 

[AKIRA]

in europe you can't get your license without knowing how to drive a manual car right?

 

[Cormeh]

No, you can take a test in an automatic. Your license would obviously only be valid for an automatic until you passed the test in a manual.

If you pass in a manual, you qualify to drive both.

 

[sinkoman]

iFailed!

Points i'll admit I ****ed up on:

*Changed lanes in an intersection, wasn't paying attention
*Parked too far from the curb, wasn't paying attention
*Stopped at a green light in one section (the word "STOP" was written in big bold letters on the ground right infront of the crosswalk, so it threw me off)

Points I didn't quite agree on:

*At the beginning of the test, I asked the guy, "I noticed that everybody drives a little quickly on the main road, would you prefer that I drive the speedlimit, or stay with traffic?". He tells me to stay with traffic. I do so, and then halfway through the test he goes "You know you're speeding..." and marks me down for something
*When I was reversing out of a stall, he goes "STOP!" as i'm turning the car to the right, and tells me i'm about to hit the red civic on my left. I stick my head out the window only to see that I have maybe 6 inches of space :| I know where the contact points on my car are you dumb bastard... Marks me down for having improper control of the vehicle
*Halfway through the test he tells me i'm too far to the left of the lane. I stick my head out the window of the car and see I have about 2 feet of space between the left line and my car. Like I said, I know where the contact points are on my car, maybe he just DOESN'T. Marks me down again.

D: D: D:

 

[AKIRA]

oh, over here you can do the test in an automatic but still be allowed to drive a manual. You would just have to learn it on your own or pay for lessons, no need to do another driving test just for a manual car.

 

[dfc05]

Sounds easy indeed.

Here you have to go into a turn and reverse from without crossing some painted lines and hitting any cones. Then you have to drive halfway up a rather steep ramp, stop, pull the handbrake and then release the handbrake and drive up the ramp without rolling down further than 20cm after releasing the brake.

If you do that correctly, you're allowed to proceed to the next phase of the test: driving in city traffic for approximately 45 minutes. And that's not in the suburbs, but in the city itself, with roundabouts etc. (if the city has them of course). You've also got to do a manouver (or 2, not sure) randomly picked by the tester, like different types of parking or turning the car around by reversing into a free space and going the opposite direction, which is what I had to do.

Each time I see someone driving in a car with the 'driving test' label, I feel sorry for them.

Wow, that sounds really difficult.

My driving test was really easy, just driving around streets and stuff. We didn't have to know how to parallel park. I ended up having to take my driving test early in the morning with the guy that was the head of the driving school and in all their videos, which was kinda scary because I thought he'd be really mean. I actually forgot to stop at a stop sign in my practice run that morning because I had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep. But he passed me.

Maybe they were just easy on us since we took their driving course and their driving instructors administer the driving test. If my parents taught me and I took a driving test with the normal driving agency people, they probably would've been stricter.

 

[repiV]

The problem with driving tests is that they're designed and administered by civil servants, so inevitably boil down to pedantic repetition of specific procedures.
It's not exactly a secret that education which empowers you with information about the subject and then enables you to think critically about that information and draw valid conclusions from it is far more valuable than education which teaches you to copy whatever the teacher says.
Passing a driving test isn't about demonstrating good practice, it's about driving within a limited set of parameters in the fashion that's approved by the examiner. And then modern traffic policy perpetuates the problem by encouraging people to disengage their brains when they drive, because there's always a sign telling you exactly what to do.
You don't have to know jack shit about driving in order to get a driving license.

Hope you beat the bureaucracy next time.

 

[AKIRA]

in before repiv's long multi quote rant about motorcycles

 

[repiV]

in before repiv's long multi quote rant about motorcycles

WTF is this shit, anyway? Do you have a ****ing problem with me posting about stuff that I'm interested in? Are only people with a cursory interest in the topic at hand allowed to post here?

Go to hell.

 

[AKIRA]

WTF is this shit, anyway? Do you have a ****ing problem with me posting about stuff that I'm interested in? Are only people with a cursory interest in the topic at hand allowed to post here?

Go to hell.

it was a joke, calm down, pick up a tissue and wipe away the tears

 

[Qonfused]

in before repiv's long multi quote rant about motorcycles

You beat me...

 

[Kula Meenur]

iFailed!

Points i'll admit I ****ed up on:

*Changed lanes in an intersection, wasn't paying attention
*Parked too far from the curb, wasn't paying attention
*Stopped at a green light in one section (the word "STOP" was written in big bold letters on the ground right infront of the crosswalk, so it threw me off)

Points I didn't quite agree on:

*At the beginning of the test, I asked the guy, "I noticed that everybody drives a little quickly on the main road, would you prefer that I drive the speedlimit, or stay with traffic?". He tells me to stay with traffic. I do so, and then halfway through the test he goes "You know you're speeding..." and marks me down for something
*When I was reversing out of a stall, he goes "STOP!" as i'm turning the car to the right, and tells me i'm about to hit the red civic on my left. I stick my head out the window only to see that I have maybe 6 inches of space :| I know where the contact points on my car are you dumb bastard... Marks me down for having improper control of the vehicle
*Halfway through the test he tells me i'm too far to the left of the lane. I stick my head out the window of the car and see I have about 2 feet of space between the left line and my car. Like I said, I know where the contact points are on my car, maybe he just DOESN'T. Marks me down again.

D: D: D:

**** mate, soz to hear that

 

[repiV]

it was a joke, calm down, pick up a tissue and wipe away the tears

Jokes are supposed to be funny. I could post "in before CptStern's rant about the evil American empire" in every other thread in the politics section, but I don't because it isn't funny.

 

[Qonfused]

I laughed...

 

[Unfocused]

Better luck next time. But...

*Changed lanes in an intersection, wasn't paying attention
*Parked too far from the curb, wasn't paying attention

It's a driving test and you were not paying attention?

How much does the test cost where you live?

 

[theotherguy]

my drivers ed teacher was an old fat man with a large grey beard who reminded me simultaneously of Daniel Dennet and Santa Claus. He wore red and green tinted glasses at all times. His son took us on the drive times in his old Camaro, and we often stopped at gas stations so he could get out of the car and smoke. The final test involved the man telling me to turn onto a particular street, yet there was a "do not enter!" sign on it. When I pointed this out, he'd just yell at me, "TURN! TURN! TURN!" until I passed it and did not turn, then he said, "Good job, you've passed the test!"

 

[ailevation]

and then you have to wait like 6 months before you can legally transport passengers under the age of 18 or was it 25..?

 

[Sulkdodds]

So basically, passing the test requires you second-guess what will turn the examiner on.

 

[Tyguy]

the things you admitted to doing wrong were more than enough to prevent you from getting your license, at least around here they are

 

[sinkoman]

Better luck next time. But...



It's a driving test and you were not paying attention?

How much does the test cost where you live?

Wasn't paying attention meaning that I was so god damned nervous that I wasn't thinking straight.

the things you admitted to doing wrong were more than enough to prevent you from getting your license, at least around here they are

REALLY now?

Changing lanes in an intersection, ok, you got me on that one, not the safest thing in the world to do, but parking shittily? I don't quite see how ****ing up a parallel park is absolute grounds for failure, especially considering that you could, you know, try to find a NON parallel stall...

Stopping at the green marked "stop" also doesn't seem like a very good reason to fail. ****, the whole reason I stopped was because I saw the marking and thought to myself "K, I can just roll through this thing like a normal green, and possibly put others at risk because I missed a stop that I should have taken, or I could just stop there, as a precautionary measure, and then continue on through the intersection, no harm done.

 

[Tyguy]

Not being able to park well is absolutely grounds for failure. If your parking too far from the curb, you are taking road away from people driving down the street, increasing a chance of an accident. Or if you are on a hill and park and do not know which way to turn the wheel in case the brake fails...

Stopping in the middle of the road that has a green light is also not the safest thing...i dont know how apparent the STOP on the road was, but you should be able to make the correct decision without thinking about it.

 

[PimpinPenguin]

iFailed!

Points i'll admit I ****ed up on:


*Stopped at a green light in one section (the word "STOP" was written in big bold letters on the ground right infront of the crosswalk, so it threw me off)

Here you would fail, you clearly did not understand the road sign which is dangerous, and stopping at a green light not only slows traffic it also pisses off everyone behind you.

iFailed!
*At the beginning of the test, I asked the guy, "I noticed that everybody drives a little quickly on the main road, would you prefer that I drive the speedlimit, or stay with traffic?". He tells me to stay with traffic. I do so, and then halfway through the test he goes "You know you're speeding..." and marks me down for something.

You should have never haved asked. Yes in normal conditions you would keep with traffic, but when doing you test you have to do it by the book. Breaking the speed limit just to keep with traffic is unacceptable in a test.

iFailed!
I don't quite see how ****ing up a parallel park is absolute grounds for failure, especially considering that you could, you know, try to find a NON parallel stall

It shows you have poor car control and again you would fail here. If you can't do a basic manouver such as a parallel park which is a common manouver you deserver to fail, saying you could find a non parallel stall is not an excuse cause what happens if you can't your ****ed.

You should be glad your not doing your test here, cause they are really strict here. But everything you said you deserved to fail for.

 

[Unfocused]

Stopping at a green light may be a dangerous manouver. I almost drove into the ass of someone that got confused and stopped because he saw lights turning to red, but for a lane that was turning left, not the one we were driving on.

I didn't expect it and stepped on the brakes when I realised that he came to a sudden stop, but the road was wet and I made a few meter slide and stopped right behind him.

You may say that I didn't adjust my speed to the road conditions and you'd probably be right, but still it's not a good thing to stop when you should be driving on.

 

[sinkoman]

Btw, I took the same test, same location, diff instructor, last thursday, and passed with a perfect score.

Go figure...

 

[Cormeh]

I'm glad you passed Sinko, it was close to the point that if you failed again, I was going to urinate in your ear.

 

[sinkoman]

I'm glad you passed Sinko, it was close to the point that if you failed again, I was going to urinate in your ear.

Do it anyway...

 

[ríomhaire]

The Irish test doesn't involve parking at all (thank god, I suck at it) but you have to two a 3-point turn, reverse around the corner and start on a hill without letting the car slide back.