Thread: Tell me about the US driving test

From what I could read on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...m_driving_test the US driving test is many times easier..

The only thing I know about the US driving test, is that Danish guy who was training to be a fighter pilot got the license in an hour or so, just driving around on some test track. While here in Denmark it takes some months, as many hours of theory and driving is required.

Drive around the block, parallel park. That's it.

Most require you to log so many hours of driving and complete a simple written (or sometimes electronic) test in addition to driving around the block and parallel parking. Some don't even parallel park any more; my maneuverability course consisted of driving forward, backing up, and driving forward again on a course that took up the space of three parking spaces.

Honestly, I think that US driving tests should require applicants to pass on a manual transmission. It would weed out much of the stupid, inattentive people.

Well, when I took Driver's Ed, it went like this...

We sat in a room and learned some safety lessons (which I pretty much feel asleep through)
Then we got to drive around some blocks while learning to turn around in the middle of a street (illegal?)
Then we drove into a bigger city (which sucked because I've never been to that part of the city, it had all sorts of weird crosswalks put right in the middle of the street and stuff)
We did a couple of parallel parking and that was about it.

Also, we had to write down 50 hours of driving too, which I didn't really do.

Oh and I got written down for having an attitude for telling my driving instructor to calm down after I missed a turn and told him we would just take the next turn.

Pass a written exam, take a mandatory driving course to get a permit, have the permit for a certain amount of time, do a certain number of hours with it, take the practical exam. Not to mention NJ has a GDL where you get a limited license at 17 and a full one at 18. Screwing up pushes back the time till you get a full license.

Assuming you read the little booklet they give, the written part is very easy. Assuming you pay attention and have any sort of driving experience the driving part is easy.

People often fail, but its pretty rare for people to fail multiple times.

I think it changes from place to place. In NYC, it's probably pretty tough compared to smaller places. I took the test in WA and was almost offended at how much of a waste of my time it was. Like ninja said, drive around the block, pretend to parallel park.

Making people do it on a stick would be a nice way to weed out the stupid. But then again, I'm very much an elitist, I also think an IQ test should be required.

Originally Posted by ninja9578

I also think an IQ test should be required.

This.

They should make it so that if you fail the driving test more than say... 3 times, you become ineligible to hold a license. How comforting is it to find out that the person driving in front of you got their license on the 16th try...

Originally Posted by Spartiate

How comforting is it to find out that the person driving in front of you got their license on the 16th try...

More comforting that if they were the person behind me.

Originally Posted by Odd_Nonposter

Honestly, I think that US driving tests should require applicants to pass on a manual transmission. It would weed out much of the stupid, inattentive people.

Base people's eligibility as drivers on the ability to operate vehicles with an outmoded transmission type that only still exists because some idiot somewhere thought it made his penis bigger? I'll pass.

I believe a periodic retesting would be a less...tedious way to handle the situation. Every time you have to go in to renew your license, they should at least make you retake the written test...and if you fail the written test, they should make you retake the driving portion of the test, putting your license on suspension until you pass it. It may not help things in the short run, but in the long run, I think it'll pay off.

I don't think the ability to pass the written test has anything to do with ability to drive. If you're going to re-test people, make it a driving test. Though really, when the driving test consists of driving around the block (or similar) and parallel parking in a HUGE spot, I don't think that would help either. I mean really, the driving tests in the US don't really test your ability to drive at all. It is in no way representative.

I think instilling a lot of great habits early on in class (the way they do it at Young Driver's of Canada) is the better alternative. It's been years, and those habits aren't things I do on top of driving - they are things I learned as part of driving... like, "this is how you drive" not "this is something you should do for additional safety."

Also, I think driving tests should be harder. Instead of driving around the block, it should be a bit more comprehensive. There should be some more busy streets, and ideally a bit of highway driving. YDC actually does a couple of "tests" where they have you do more realistic driving, and evaluate you based on that, and they don't really allow you to take your actual driving test until you've met THEIR standards. Unfortunately, I guess that would mean the already ridiculous wait times at the DMV would get worse, but that's another story. The DMV just needs to be more efficient about the meaningless bureaucracy part of what it's doing and focus on what matters instead.

^You'd be surprised. There was this study a few years back where they had people who've been drivers for various lengths of time retake the written test...and quite a shocking number of them failed. Which, in one aspect, reinforces your claim that the written test doesn't have a whole lot top do with the ability to drive. However, what is the written test other than a test of common sense?

Simple logic will allow for virtually anyone to pass the written test, so the real question is this: If someone fails the written test - showing that they cannot even apply simple logic - should we really allow them on the road so easily? Those who fail the written test, I can guarantee, are the same idiots who: don't know what the hell a center turning lane is for; change lanes in heavy traffic without even signaling (thereby cutting people off at unsafe highway speeds); speed up and try to "beat" people who are merging, instead of either slowing down or changing lanes; turn right on a red light or make U-turns where "No Turn on Red" and "No U-Turn" signs are clearly posted...trust me, I can go on and on.

Bottom line, the written test is a re-hashing of all the traffic laws that anyone with half a brain would follow. And if you can't pass it...you don't belong on the road. Period.

The written test has questions like "how far from the railroad should you stop?" and expects you to know the answer in meters or whatever. If they got rid of that sort of memorization, the written test might act as a viable filter.

That is true. Things like, how many inches should you park from a curb? 3 inches, 5 inches, 7 inches or 15 inches? Stuff like that really has no bearing on how good of a driver you are.

That reminds me of the signs I keep seeing around town. The signs say left turns yield on green. It is on nearly every light. Apparently so many people forget that its a basic law, that always applies to all left turns, that they need signs to remind people.

Yep, you park as close as the curb as you can get without hitting it, inches don't matter You know my favourite driving signs? Where there is a sign that informs you that there is a different speed limit around a tight bend or something, when the speed limit is the same as it currently is

the US driving test doesn't seem to stop the elderly from crashing into starbucks. sure, they don't want to give up that mobility (ha), but it's kinda bogus to see old ladies with giant glaucoma sunglasses cruising around for some bingo or whatever they're doing.

Originally Posted by Alric

That is true. Things like, how many inches should you park from a curb? 3 inches, 5 inches, 7 inches or 15 inches? Stuff like that really has no bearing on how good of a driver you are.

No, but if you park any more than three feet away from a curb on a narrow-ass street, you truly deserve any parking tickets that are accrued. Especially if you do it close to a street corner...assholes like that are the reason I can't see shit down either direction whenever I come to a T intersection. I think some night I'm just gonna go bashing out the windows of cars parked so fucking ineptly along the T intersection I come to every day.