Can You Drive?

Option 2. Passed my test in '97, haven't driven since. We do have a car but my wife has to do all the driving. I am bad.

I failed the test 6 times and gave up :(

i just never got round to it, and now the opportunity to learn just isn't there, unless i pay for classes. i think i may be too neurotic to be a driver anyway :/

three failed tests in my gap year. haven't lived anywhere where i've needed a car since. but now i have the money again I should probably try and get it over with.

No. Got a series lessons paid for once and sat a test. I failed. The instructor said I lacked concentration, but that was because I found the whole shebang so intensely boring.

i took about three lessons when i was 18, and just... stopped. i have no immediate need to drive, and couldn't afford a car etc anyway, but nonetheless, kind of think i should. one day i guess i'll have elderly parents to transport. shit like that.

I'm an American!

Tom, I was the same! :-)

Option 1, obv.

Yeah, this is going to be another US/UK divide, isn't it? Or maybe a US/major metropolitan centres of the UK divide.

It's not surprising that a lot of ILXors can't/won't drive, but I'm not sure why I'm not surprised.

Workshy fops

I failed the test 6 times and gave up :(

Col. Poo you should enter Last Chance Driving School: http://www.itv.com/Lifestyle/LastChanceDriving/default.html

Why "obv", Dr.C?

I wish I lived somewhere where I didn't need a car. There's no bus on the weekend or after 7PM and the nearest grocery store is more than five miles away. The times I've been carless for whatever reason were HELL.

was thinking of getting one of these crazy newfangled things called mopeds

Can drive but hiring car works out cheaper than owning for me.

Get a bicycle instead. You can ride one without looking like a douche. (xp)

we'll see about that!

didn't have the money to learn when i was 18, didn't really have the desire to learn when i was 28 (except for holiday purposes).

i took about three lessons when i was 18, and just... stopped. i have no immediate need to drive, and couldn't afford a car etc anyway, but nonetheless, kind of think i should. one day i guess i'll have elderly parents to transport. shit like that.

me too. i'm kinda worried about how it might some day seriously hinder my chances of getting a job, but i'm honestly terrified at the prospect of learning to drive. and apparently the older you get, the harder it is to learn.

Do you have to go to driving school in the UK? My parents taught me.

You don't have to go to driving school but the test is pretty onerous and schools teach to the test.

The government might be authoritarian over here but it's not that bad... yet

apparently the older you get, the harder it is to learn.

I've never had any problems getting job due to not having a license though.

Yeah, the fiirst time in my life I had money for lessons was when I was 25-ish but I hung on until I was 28-29 to actually bother and then...I moved to London. Might have all been very different if the guy I rang about his VW Polo in late '97 had returned the call but, really, if I'd been that keen I'd have looked at more than one used car ad. Window of opportunity for refreshing skills was probably second half of 2004 (Pam got her UK licence, we didn't have kids yet) but I didn't bother.

Most people get schooled by their parents a bit, don't they? Our family only occasionally had a car in between my Dad's drink driving bans... LOL.

learned to drive aged 24, passed test and got car aged 25, drive twelve miles to and from work, no real public transport around here so needs must i guess.

xpost I used to get to drive from 17 onwards because of mum's drink drive bans, funny that

Yeah, so if I couldn't do it when I was 21 what chance do I have 10 years later?

I don't think that's true at all. Dawn's sister passed at age 40, my mum was 50 etcsetra.

"Drink driving" is one of those Briticisms that will never look natural to my eyes.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/1310203014_8b66bc61c4.jpg

Why "obv", Dr.C?

Well, I have posted on various driving and car-related threads over the years. Not that anyone would necessarily remember that. But anyway, I have kids and play in bands, both of which car usage pretty much mandatory.

My mum would have been in her 30s when she passed, I clearly remember her throwing a tantrum and walking off out of the car with me and my brother in the back seat due to my dad's, um, tactless way with the instruction (a scene I would repeat myself as a learner driver 10 or so years later).

I passed first time when I was 17, and have owned cars on and off since then, depending on financial and domestic circumstances. I own one at the moment, but it's a luxury rather than a necessity (being the least-used of the two cars we own between us - I could get by on public transport and using Neil's for shopping and things, but I don't want to because I love me my wee car)

The last time I failed my test was a really shit reason though - I apparently turned too late on a left turn, which if I hadn't been driving a car with power-steering, would have meant I'd crossed the line in the middle of the road onto the wrong side. But... I did have a power-steering car, so I didn't cross the line! I hadn't actually done anything wrong! The cunts! etc. So I thought fuck this shit.

Holy shit, for a second I thought that was Bill Clinton.

I have posted on various driving and car-related threads over the years.

well put, sir.

Well, I have posted on various driving and car-related threads over the years. Not that anyone would necessarily remember that.

Ah right, I don't read many of the car threads (or keep dr.c.xls - double extension would fuck up my AV scans).
I thought you were just being "Dur! Of course I drive!" :)

I didn't go down the "learn at 17" route as I found at 17 that there were better substances than petrol to spend money on. Learned and passed first time at 23 and have owned a car ever since (though it's pretty much been my wife's car since we had the kids).

I will have had my licence for 14 years this Sunday, I know because I just renewed it on Tuesday. Always had a car, bit of a given in my city as the public transport is diabolical, though I try to use buses, my bike and shanks' pony where I can in line with my views on the environment. I have been a bit naughty this year as my current job comes with a car bay in town, car bays are gold here. It's back to the bus in February though when I start my new job.

I couldn't really drive properly when I took my test, but I was booked in to the test just before the examiner's Xmas lunch... he just made me drive around the block, that was it. No hill start, no 3 point turn, no parallel park. Lucky I never killed anyone really.

#2

Passed 2nd test when 17, had a car once but not anymore, drive like demon, windy scottish country roads = aces.

That's windy as in many bends, not as in fast moving air currents.

Once crashed a friend's lovely yellow golf convertible into a mini roundabout beside the Royal and Ancient golf course at St Andrews.

I meant the Old Course of course.

Golf ruined at St Andrews

#3 - failed three tests, last one was twelve years ago. I haven't tried driving a car for twelve years.

i have been driving since i was 14, legally since i was 15

I failed four times and gave up. I used cuss words at the tester dude on my second-to-last time. He was a total prick.

They usually are.

Been driving since I was 12.

What if you can drive but don't have a car?

Option 2, innit

Ok, what if you don't have a license either? L O L

no, I love my bike. It doesn't destroy the earth nearly as much.

<i>Yeah, this is going to be another US/UK divide, isn't it? Or maybe a US/major metropolitan centres of the UK divide.</i>

Def. Almost all of my American friends learned to drive as teenagers but I know a lot of UK people who either learned to drive quite late or still haven't learned. I got got my license at 18 and that was considered late where I grew up.

My English husband doesn't drive and a lot of people here think that's really weird. My Dad hates the fact that L can't drive. I think to him it's just something everyone should know how to do.

I seem to remember a thread on here a while back in which a lot of Americans admitted that they didn't know how to drive and was sort of shocked, but I think a few of them were native New Yorkers like JBR and Alex in NYC. Ned Raggett, on the other hand, I don't have an answer for.

Option 3 - PHEAR my tiny carbon footprint!

xpost - Good point. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and most of the kids I knew from The City didn't drive.

I didn't have a license to drive or own a car until I was 30. Now I have a Class B commercial driver's license, drive a school bus for employment. I drive to work in the morning, but I walk to work every afternoon. Go figure.

Every year I promise Mrs V I'll learn to drive. Who knows, maybe 2008 ftw?

zipcar bitches

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/59/Zipcar_Logo.svg/200px-Zipcar_Logo.svg.png

i love driving but haven't owned a car in years. half the reason i'm going to sxsw this year is to drive the overnight shift.

i didn't drive til i was 24 and i've never had a license

I'm an American!

^^^

I also go the Zipcar route. I love driving - all this talk makes me want to take a long one although not right now because it's been snowing like mad since 9:00 a.m.

i'll be switching to zipcar from i-go because zipcar just put two cars down the street from me. no more of this taking the bus to pick up a car bullshit.

been driving regularly since i was 15. this summer i didn't have a car and i rarely went anywhere more than 2 miles from my apt unless someone else was driving me.

Yes, I drive, yes I own a car... but if you didn't learn to drive growing up in Hastings, you'd never have gotten out. Also, I commute to school, about an hour drive each way. There's no public transport from Northfield to the Twin Cities, so I drive pretty often.

I still don't know how to drive a stick shift car, however.

passed test, bought car, crashed car 1 month later.

got bike, car came out of entrance, didn't see me, hospital, stitches.

but if you didn't learn to drive growing up in Hastings, you'd never have gotten out.

holy fuck i remember when i still had my learner's permit when i had my first trip down mem. drive in cambridge. i'm surprised i didn't a) kill myself b) kill anyone else c) hit a building d) put the car in charles and e) any combination of those.

Mem drive is one of the best roads to drive at night - it's so pretty but I don't think I would have been to fond of it when I was just learning.

i used to love the view of the city from mem drive, esp. in the spring.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I seem to remember a thread on here a while back in which a lot of Americans admitted that they didn't know how to drive and was sort of shocked, but I think a few of them were native New Yorkers like JBR and Alex in NYC.

still haven't learned, and i live in l.a. now, where everyone thinks i'm nuts for not having a car. but i get around fine with a combination of transit, cabs, walking, and the occasional ride from a friend (i try to use the latter sparingly because i don't wanna get a reputation as a perpetual ride-bummer). i was considering learning how to drive and then using the zipcar/flexcar/occasional rental car option, but you have to have some kind of actual driving record to do that. i'm not against learning, i just don't want to OWN a car -- but i don't think there are any alternatives for licensed-but-inexperienced drivers.

you need a motorcycle!

I also live somewhere with no buses after 7pm (though changing this is high up my list of priorities for 08, or it is until I look at city rent prices) but have never quite managed to have both the money and the time at the same time to learn to drive. So expensive! Takes so long! Took lessons for abt 8 months once (best part of a grand) and the instructor didn't want to teach me anything. Not sure if I was really that terrible or if he just liked the idea of getting my thirty quid a week indefinitely.

I don't really like the idea of driving, from the environmental POV, the cost POV or the "oh shit, I am a clumsy slow-reactioned strop-prone idiot in charge of a giant metal deathtrap with a few thousand explosions happening in the engine every minute, veering all over a road full of other idiots in similar deathtraps" POV but it would be useful in my current situation, plus if I ever wanted kids I should probably be able to drive (this may just be kneejerk reaction to couple on my bus home every evening with baby screaming for 50 minute journey + aisle blocked by buggy and pushchair etc + sight and smell of baby dribbling/spewing milk all the way home etc, gah).

learned to drive in my 70s suburban teen dream and have maintained a license ever since tho I've never owned a car. in fact that was one of the reasons I moved to NYC, one less expense. probably rent cars half a dozen times a year for holidays weekend trips etc. driving can actually be enjoyable when you don't have to do it every day. like wearing a suit & tie. from what I've seen of traffic in LA I think get bent has the right idea, that scene gets crazier every time I go. but sometimes cruising PCH and turning up into the canyons is the BOMB.

Never learned. Which is not so uncommon for NYC natives but it's also surprisingly common for Portland natives! Or at least for the ones who stick around.

I put 25-30k miles on my truck this year between work and normal life.

The fear of driving stuff upthread is amusing - we let every moron suburban teenager known to man hop in and start learning when they turn 15! And then set them loose, to drive drunk and high and talking on cellphones and playing with their friends for the last two years of high school! It's super-easy, really.

I wish I lived in a locale with mass transit, if only because going out and having drinks would require less planning.

I can drive, and have since mid-to-late teendom, like most of the US. Also, I hate cars and haven't owned one in years, utterly unlike most of the US.

I need to drive, mainly due to musical and work obligations, but if I hadn't already been driving to years, I wouldn't start now. The roads have become even more insane and you have to drop a grand on a vehicle just for rego and insurance.

know how to drive, like driving, took license once when young, failed for stupid tho valid reason, kept driving with learners' permit, life happens, never got license. haven't driven in like 8 years whoa. should get back on this just b/c it takes a v long time to bike to the country/farm/wilderness/etc rite :/

148,000 miles on the current car; been driving since 1997 and have hit exactly 46 states and 3 countries by automobile with 1 major accident and 4 little fender-benders.

I can't drive because I'm legally blind. It really really sucks.

more power to you, jbr, but long-term not driving in la is severely limiting. i never drove much until i moved here, but if for some reason i could no longer drive i would move from here in a new york minute. traffic is getting worse every year though, so i might move anyway. there was that brief window of opportunity for la to get a substantial mass transit system back in the 80s but reactionary forces & mismanagement killed it.

gershy, you do know about all the rail expansion happening now, right? the construction is happening -- in a few years there'll be rail from downtown to culver city, and the gold line will extend out to east l.a., and if all goes well there'll be a real "purple line" on wilshire past western. the political will actually exists now to make it happen.

Lol I'm driving long haul most of my life.

-Jim Swells

i'm less optimistic about it than you, but if it really does happen - YAY!

Well, that's just what I do.

-Jim Swells

this is a very big step, i think:

http://laist.com/2007/12/20/subway_ban_offi_1.php

I wish we had reliable public transit in my area. We have a bus system, in fact, there's a stop less than two blocks from my house. But sometimes it comes on time, sometimes ten minutes late, sometimes ten minutes early. Plenty of time to shiver in the cold and try to decide at 9:00 if the next bus is going to be the 9:10 or the 9:40.

besides, a monthly bus pass is $34. My monthly gas tanking-up is around $40. I know there's insurance and oil changes that would also figure into my monthly car cost, but it's still worth more than the bus.

>>>My monthly gas tanking-up is around $40.<<<

That, ain't squat, Mr.

No, I can't drive, but I don't walk (unless I want to go somewhere within a walking distance), we have good public transportc system here.

don't drive. In fact i sat behind the wheel for the very first time last week. It was a transit van too. My friend let me get a feel for it in a secluded car park.

i was a bit shocked at how little i knew what a 'clutch' did, but it was very exciting and i rushed off home to look up on the internet exactly how the engine works. Now I'm a bit more comfortable with the whole 'biting point' thing.

so hopefully i'll get a licence this year.

My friend let me get a feel for it in a secluded car park.

kinky!

My monthly gas tanking-up is around $40

i rented a stupid SUV last weekend to drive up to Boston and it cost $50 just to fill the tank.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/peel_p50.jpg

i rented a stupid SUV last weekend to drive up to Boston and it cost $50 just to fill the tank.

That's only £25!!! SO CHEAP!!! The cost of petrol is getting ridiculous over here now.

A friend taught me to drive when I was 14. She just put me behind the wheel of her car one afternoon and had me driving on the highways and everything. It was a hoot-and-a-half.

Unfortunately, I was really lazy about actually getting my license and didn't take the test until my senior year in high school. There was no greater mark of shame than a 17-year-old without a car in the town I grew up in.

No car currently - because I lived in the city for several years - but I just watched the Dukes of Hazzard last night and am eyeballing mid-70s F-100s on craigslist. : )

Option 1. In Devon it's pretty essential.

Option 3 - never even gone so far as to enquire about having a lesson. Spot the guy who's lived in London all his life.

drive, have car, am fully paid up member of IAM (qv threads about reversing into parking places, for shits and giggles).

that said: one day (maybe even january 8, when its MOT is due, but i fucking hope not) my trusty wee 11-year-old colt will have to be put out to pasture. this year's been surprisingly expensive -- new bumper (the original one fell off, spectacularly); new roof trims (the original ones fell off, rather less spectacularly), two new tyres (fucking arran roads) ... plus the perennial insurance, tax etc, which -- when i'm driving probably less than 4000 miles a year -- does start to look like an expense too far. (especially given that next year i hope to go part-time at work, and royally fuck my income stream.)

the way i see it: it might well work out cheaper to hire a car for the few times i actually *need* one. i have some serious sums to do here. what i'd miss, of course, is the handiness of having my own ... and, of course, being able to use it for the shopping :/

i dunno. earlier this year i was all set to buy a second-hand alfa GTV. then i did some adding up. then quite a lot of subtracting. and i thought, woah, i love driving and everything, but ... not at that kind of running cost. (let alone environmental cost.)

we shall see. for now, i have an old but wonderful car that i sincerely hope will keep vrooming along for the foreseeable.

god i want one of these:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/Toyota_Hilux_2.8D.JPG

gimme (bio)diesel!

fuck, dude, is that actual size or something? ;)

oops!

...i ride my bike every day, and will happily take public transit/cabs on those occasions that riding is out of the question. figure if i'm going to just have a car lying around, it ought to be a big dumb truck that i can actually use to (a) go places cars can't and/or (b) carry big stuff. instead, i have a ford focus that i drive once a month, maybe.

http://i.pga.com/pga/images/events/2005/openchampionship/img/news/071605_daly_main.jpg

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

nice rig gbx

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2087/2114582107_8a63fe807d.jpg?v=0

i changed my mind

i'm going to learn to drive

I still haven't done my exam. I finally asked my friend to teach me how to parallel park. We did our first "lesson" yesterday. She's bloody fan-tas-tic! She's a teacher so she knows how to do this shit. (Teacher at art academy.) I actually managed to do it! Next time we'll probably try in a street. A couple of more times and I should be able to do this part of the exam. But I still get anxiety attacks even thinking about setting a date for the exam.

JH, are you gonna do it with a driving instructor or family? (We can do both here.)

I wish we had reliable public transit in my area.

I'll tell you, pt is great but it took me an HOUR to get to Ophelia's dance class. A car would have been about 20 minutes max? I can understand why people don't want to drive - cheaper not to,... - but with kids it's hellahard when you don't have a car. Groceries are cheaper in the supermarkets outside the city AND with a car much easier to transport.

Driving with a stick isn't that hard. I don't do it entirely the correct way (but a LOT of people don't) but you can't tell unless you watch me doing it. Everyone who has been in the car with me tell me I drive very relaxed. Never jerky movements. Still I am extremely anxious (during and after the car). There's no way you can tell but I am.

Parallel parking is ESSENTIAL in our exam. Fail (like not standing 30 cm away from curb or too far) and you fail your exam.

Ha, during my parallel parking portion, I got five seconds into it and the guy stopped me and said "You don't know what you're doing, do you?" I was all "nah", and we left it at that.

Ten years later, I've parallel parked MAYBE five times.

Good luck, though!

He passed you anyway? FUCK ME. Here it's parallel parking in ONE FLUID S MOTION WITHOUT STOPPING. (I mean of course you stop once you are between the cars, lol.) You can, I think but I'm not sure, try two times (if the examinator is lenient, which they usually aren't). Used to be that you had to do it between two cones but now it's in the middle of the street but apparently they give you plenty of space (so no cramped spaces). Yesterday I managed to do that but usually the last bit I didn't turn the wheel fast enough so I used too much space. I guess it's not that essential in some countries, but in Belgium it's just part of driving (or rather parking). Now I usually drive around till I find a really big spot.

Yikes, that's rough.

I was told I had the lowest passing score possible. I drive really slow and am obnoxiously careful, though.

I'm a parallel parking god. You have to be on my street.

I love driving.

I now drive the biggest car I ever had and never has parallel parking been easier. Might have something to do with the powersteering, which I didn't have in my previous car. Lots of practice definitely pays off though so I'm sure you'll come through Nathalie!

My instructor was very good at teaching this as well. At specific moments during the procedure, parts of the car (antenna, right speaker in the back) would align perfectly with either the car your parking behind or the curb you are parking against - once I realised that I enjoyed it immensely. Of course, when I drove my dad's car after my exams, the alignments were completely off :-)

my driving instructor was a total perv and complained to me in a bro sorta way that he never got to teach cute girls, just the "fat annoying chicks". I was 15 and he was in his late 20s.

Willem, yes, it all depends from car to car. I was telling my friend how I say on Youtube that your mirror has to be parallel with the back corner of the front car, how another friend had said "when the nose of the back car disappears..." She said it all depends from car to car. But there's certain rules that do apply: once your car is in a 45 degree corner you have to start turning the wheel to the other side (for example). I dunno. I did it on "feeling" yesterday which worked much better. And also my friend taught me all the necessary bits. For example: I was WAY too fast so how the fuck could I correct during the S movement? I think I just overdid it cause I am so nervous I wanna get it over with.

Sigh.

Pretty sure I'll fail the first time: only 40 procent pass the first time

Problem is that you can try twice and if you fail again you have to take six lessons. It quickly adds up to a hefty bill. About as high as last months phone bill (oh I am so not joking)

BTW I got the car of my mother in law:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Mazda_Demio_1996.jpg

Boringest car ever.

man, driving is a blast! i've had 9 hours of lessons so far, enjoying it a lot. in my last lesson the instructor had to brake for me a couple of times but apart from that it all seems pretty straightforward. too bad you're supposed to do 120 hours before they let you take the test in australia :(

I also love driving. It's just the cyclists I hate. They get in the way. ;-)

Will probably do my exam next months. I have practiced parallel parking with my friend and it isn't as hard as I thought. Not to say I do it well. But if they give me enough space, then I'll probably manage.

I'm still obsessed with the Volvo XC60. When I told her people (here actually) said it was best to practice with the car I had, she replied they were right but that I'd need to get used to a new car no matter how much experience I had. I dunno. I just loooooove that XC60. Even when the Top Gear guy said it was for pretty middleclass women. I ain't pretty, but then I guess I am very middle class. hah

I would give anything to be able to drive, but I can't see well enough.

My husband is the same. This is why I am getting my license. He has a visual handicap. Even crossing the street is hazardous for him (due to a side effect of his condition, ie tunnel vision). He was very interested in cars till he was 15 and realized it was pointless.

after never driving at all (save once a year occasional errand running with parental cars during christmas), i have been occasionally using zip cars for errands and i have to admit, cars are really nice! i feel guilty not using public transport but there are some things you just can't use it for! at least i try to always get a hybrid. i think it's also a nice way to have extended test drives for potential cars to purchase later on.

Can't drive, terrified of it, had my L's for about 6 months at 17 and then bailed in fear, never tried since. Don't care much, tho spontaneous hols and IKEA shopping aren't practical :/

not driving is one of my favorite things about living in nyc. i've had times in the past where i had a 30-40 minute commute on unfriendly roads. do not miss it in the slightest.

(that said, i can really enjoy driving -- like on the backroads around my parents' house, with the windows down and the radio on etc. i just don't like it as a mandatory part of daily life.)

Do I really need to move to New York in order to live OK without a car? This fucking sucks.

Just moved to SF from the UK and gonna take lessons and get my licenc/se here (cos it's easier). This nice but annoying woman at the DMV told me today that I couldn't get a license without having a social security number - which I had just tried to get and been 'denied' as my visa doesn't allow me to work. She suggested going back to the UK and getting an international licence! Or, get my husband to get a licence (he doesn't want to and I would be scared to get in a car with him and his unobservant brain). WTF.

Took me 5 seconds to google it and find out they were talking crap - it's ok to be denied a SSN.

All the cars here are massive though! And usually only contain one person :/

My american friend who lives here in Bruges said that, apart from NY/LA and the like, driving in the US is much nicer (than in Bruges).

http://acimg.auctivacommerce.com/imgdata/0/0/2/3/9/9/webimg/851853.jpg

I passed my exam ON THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!

aw congratulations<3!

congratulations and sentiment line 1 to you!!!!

thanks guys. didn't deserve it but fuck I PASSED. i think he passed me so he didn't need to sit a second time in the car with me. heeheee

Will I ever not have a panic attack? Some car honked like mad. I'm not even sure if it was at me or not. But damn I am now fucking scared about driving again. I get sweaty palms just thinking about it. It's ridiculous cause I don't even know if I did anything wrong. :-( If I get into these new situations, I sometimes get scared shitless. :-( Will I ever be able to drive properly and not feel like (or be) a complete retard? Maybe I should just quit it altogether.

FAILED >:(

Sorry dude :(

thx...1 stupid error but that was enough to fail, the rest was fine. examiner was a disgusting savage iirc.

doing a driving test in synee seems like a recipe for disaster

aw. better luc next time.

My american friend who lives here in Bruges said that, apart from NY/LA and the like, driving in the US is much nicer (than in Bruges).

Oh yeah, I've been driving in the US for decades, but when I went to Belgium all the guide books said "don't bother trying to drive there, drivers behave very differently and it's too much of a hassle." So I just stuck to the trains. Taking a train to Bruges was really easy, no problem.

"Uitgezonerd" is one of the few words I know in Dutch. It's posted everywhere.

err... "Uitgezonderd"

Yesterday I was driving and some old woman came from the left. Lucky I am careful cause SHE DID NOT ONCE LOOK FROM THE RIGHT AND KEPT FUCKING DRIVING!!!! Didn't even stop. Just took her priority! WTF.

Is it really that omnipresent, uitgezonderd? Wow. Didn't realize. :-) Nice word though, isn't it?

thx...1 stupid error but that was enough to fail, the rest was fine. examiner was a disgusting savage iirc.

What error did you make? Did they elaborate? Here they explain why you failed. They don't tell you why I passed, so it's still a mystery to me cause I don't think I was doing that well. I'm not joking. Y'know it's not only about experience - let's face it, you get that from driving for years - or doing well THAT ONE TIME but also luck. You just have to have luck on your side as well. I didn't do that well but I think the guy got the impression I was careful enough. I think that's really important: drive slowly, show you are taking your time to do the maneuvers. Truth be told I'm still scared to drive. :-(((((

Do you have to open the lid and show one particular item? I love how you have to step out of the car. If you forget to put the handbrake on, you FAIL. lolol (I know why, but isn't it funny how one thing can erase everything else? I know I know handbrake is essential...

I wish I lived in the US, it seems more "geared" towards driving. Big open spaces. Here you have fucking two directions in a exceptionally narrow streets. You basically have to check if there's an upcoming car and, if so, park on the side and let the other pass. lolol

JH, also shrug off the failure, next time you'll pass, I'm sure! Here almost everyone fails the first time. It doesn't mean shit. I mean, fuck, only one mistake!

Maybe uitgezonderd is more omnipresent in Ghent than in Bruge. It is a lovely word though. Very mysterious when you first encounter it.

thanks for the words of encouragement Nathalie!! i failed to give way at a t-junction, because i didn't see a car coming from the left that was hidden by the parked cars. the examiner screamed NOOOOOO at me so i basically knew then that i'd failed, even though neither of us mentioned it again.

it was funny tho, she was like a robot, absolutely no emotion in her voice at all, apart from the NOOOOOO and then she immediately slipped back into robot-voice for the rest of the test.

you don't have to know anything about the engine here, wtf!! i would have no clue. gonna try again in a couple of weeks anyway.....

What on earth drove you (ho ho) to take your driving test in the Eastern Suburbs (I'm presuming), Home of the 4-Wheel Driving South African Ex-Pats & Investment Bankers in Porsches??

Unlike Adelaide, where there's only goat traffic - which is why I probably passed my driving test years ago on the first time 'round.

i failed to give way at a t-junction,

This is how I failed my first test. The examiner had to use the brake on his side, which is an instant fail in the UK.

she was like a robot

Examiner for my second test was like this - except for the brief "WOAAAAH!!!" as I nearly side-swiped a motorcyclist on a roundabout.

seriously, where do they get these ppl??

Pato yr right of course! live by the sword (eastern suburbs), die by the sword (eastern suburbs), i guess.

Jabba, these people are produced at the E.X.A.M. factory. They have a mold there. Just some putty and PRESTO an exam bastard rolls of the belt. Srsly they have to be like that. You can't rely on their feelings, words nor advice. They have to be in the background, seemingly not there. But of course they are, forever judging every movement. I was able to get mine to laugh and talk (about a book actually). lol. Hey, I'm in sales and I can get a reaction from ANY person. lol.

Hold on, on a T-junction you don't have "right priority"? (Here it's always right priority, unless otherwise stated.)

One of the things my friend taught me: at a "difficult" crossroad (like if you can't see cars coming clearly) ALWAYS STOP and check. Wish I could send my friend over, she's ACE at teaching this kinda shit. But anyway next time make sure you do your maneuvers SLOWLY so you can check and check again. Better to let the other one pass than not.

I took some herbal drops to make me more relaxed. I don't know if it helped but it didn't hurt at all. :-)

And yeah, you have to know the following:

Batter
Wiper fluid (?)
Check oil
Cooling fluid (?)

You also have to be able to check the tires, if they are worn or not. And pressure of tires.

I nearly lolled when, at the start, he said:"Start the car, break and also blink lights left and right." lolol I wonder if anyone fails that part?

Battery of course

i have failed in nz and florida, after the nz time i gave up on driving for a few years but then later i took it up and passed easily but the florida examiner was just really horrible, i did my test perfectly then at the end he said 'proceed through the gates and park behind the building' (they had their own driving range outside the dmv) so i drove towards them but there was a stop sign so i started to slow and he said PROCEED THROUGH THE GATES AND PARK BEHIND THE BUILDING so i proceeded through the gates and then he failed me for not stopping.

i hope these examiners aren't okay and the problem isn't that we are a pack of duffers.

That would be awful! Imagine...

I did go for the advanced driving cert. (it was free where I was working)

Passed first time, yay me.

(I took five goes to get my normal drivlic, back in the day)

my driving instructor was a total perv and complained to me in a bro sorta way that he never got to teach cute girls, just the "fat annoying chicks". I was 15 and he was in his late 20s.

― CharlieS, Friday, September 25, 2009 4:52 AM (4 months ago) Bookmark

lol I forgot about this

passed muh test!!!

Thinking of taking the plunge and getting my driving licence. Can any Californians help me with a question - do I need to take the written test and obtain the 'permit' before even taking driving lessons? The DMV website isn't too clear. I'd prefer to take the written test after having a few lessons at least.
(In the UK you have to have a 'provisional' licence before taking lessons that afaict just confirms you're over 17, but you don't need to take the written test or anything to get it. This is why I'm slightly confused.)

Also, I have a state ID card, so do I still need to fill in all the forms again to apply for the permit? It's the same application form iirc.

Also any recs for a driving instructor in SF gratefully received. Everyone keeps recommending this one "Fearless Driver" driving school which is $170 for a 2-hour lesson!

I believe you do need the permit before taking lessons?

the written test isn't very difficult and a few lessons won't really make anything more obvious - the questions are mostly legal and technical. speed limits, parking, etc. pick up the guide that they have at the DMV, and read through the whole thing immediately before you take the test.

I cannot help, I'm sorry.

What is Uitgezonderd? I looked it up and I think it's No Entry.

I love driving very much and I have been licensed since I was 16 (took the written test at 14 and FAILED b/c I was too busy passing notes and screwing around).

Now that I live in Chicago and haven't had a car for almost 6 years, I've forgotten the finer points of a 4-way stop. If any Americans can explain it to me, that would be super (e.g., if you and another car going in opposite directions arrive at the stop sign at the same time, but one is turning left, what is supposed to happen?).

I'm also not that great at parallel parking anymore.

Mein gott, I used to get a ton of tickets - speeding, running lights/signs, expired tags, speeding some more. My insurance was sky-high.

(e.g., if you and another car going in opposite directions arrive at the stop sign at the same time, but one is turning left, what is supposed to happen?).

you guys look at each other and someone waves the other on? I'm sure there's a technically correct answer, but I also wouldn't drive w/ the assumption that the other person is following it.

i think the straight person goes first

i mean the person going straight!

Haha - I prefer the original reading of that.

In school we were taught that there is a very specific correct way, and I asked Google, but I got bored and overwhelmed by talk of various schools of thought.

it's supposed to be the person on the right. if you're opposite i don't know

it's just like when you're at a green light and the people turning left have to wait, same rule

OK, so the straight one goes straight, then the left turner gets next spot in the rotation, regardless of whether cars are in the perpendicular lanes, correct?

I really want to drive in Britain or Australia, but I think I would poop my pants the first time I had to make a right turn and found myself crossing traffic. a;lksdf;aldsfkj

Man I finally got my license a little over a year ago and I haven't driven once since. My gf wants me to start practicing again with her car but I'm super afraid of driving in Minneapolis.

tbh I'm not expecting to drive *that* much over here in the US, but will try and make an effort to do so every so often so I don't get scared again. I'm hoping it will give me a bit of confidence on the road so I can get my UK licence when I go back home.

How are you handling driving on the wrong side of the car and road? Shifting (with a manual transmission) has to be a lot easier with the right hand, I would think.

Didn't drive in England except when I was practicing for my test, so don't think it'll be a problem until I go home... I still try and get in the wrong side of other people's cars, though.

i feel like once you reach a certain age, you don't even need to have a permit? you can just take the test and get your license if you pass

i haven't driven since i passed my test either :-/

Jesse, "uitgezonderd" is dutch for "except" and there's usually a drawing of a type of vehicle under it. (No left turns, except bikes, for instance)

let op

drempels

How are you handling driving on the wrong side of the car and road? Shifting (with a manual transmission) has to be a lot easier with the right hand, I would think.

― fabulous mussels (Jesse), Tuesday, 18 May 2010 04:08 (4 hours ago)

The idea of shifting gears with the *right* hand is all kinds of weird to me, so I guess its whatever you're used to. I'd imagine at first it feels like playing a left-handed guitar.

had two proper goes at learning, but at £50 for a two-hour lesson, I was struggling to book an instructor more than 1-2 times a month. I finally got round to doing my theory but failed by two points on the (preposterous imo) hazard perception test.

I took my hazard perception test the day after they were introduced. iirc, most of the film clips were driving through council estates behind trams.

tbh, though, silly as the click-when-you-see-a-hazard mechanism is, practising for the hazard perception did help to make me more aware as a driver.

yeah, but if you spot a hazard before the computer reckons you should, it marks you down.

I can't drive. I am now really fucking old for someone who can't drive. I hate driving and it makes me anxious and I feel that since I am unobservant and short-sighted and uncoordinated I should probably not be steering 1000kg of metal and combusting petrochemicals around near other living creatures.

But the other half has been making me feel guilty for him doing all the driving, for not being able to help if he gets stranded somewhere or there's some kind of emergency. And he doesn't like buses so we end up driving to places that are right next to bus stops and really hard to park near and then it's my fault that he can't have a drink.

I spent a grand on lessons when I was 23 and got nowhere and everyone says it gets harder as you get older, so I'm pretty much screwed now, right? Who here learnt to drive late and how did you find it?

I hate driving

DON'T!!!

What was that driving 'bust-up' thread we had about a year or so ago?

The "looking back while changing lane" one, wasn't it?

That was interesting...

I am learning to drive at the mo, it sucks and I hate it.

DON'T!!!

Well, I don't want to! But everyone thinks I should, and that I am a terrible freak and failure and inconvenience upon them for not doing so, and "oh once you get used to it you'll love it because it is the most amazing freedom in the world ever", and maybe they are right. Sort of. About some of these things.

Mrs V has to do all the driving so I'm doing it out of duty.

xp I'm 36 and I can't drive, so I definitely feel like I'm in the same boat (or maybe car-boat). Hate driving - the possibility of causing an accident by not concentrating enough.

But the other half has been making me feel guilty for him doing all the driving, for not being able to help if he gets stranded somewhere or there's some kind of emergency. And he doesn't like buses so we end up driving to places that are right next to bus stops and really hard to park near and then it's my fault that he can't have a drink.

Sounds like kind of a dick tbh

Hate driving, am rubbish at driving, never really got my head round the internal combustion engine (used to strain hard at the wheel when going uphill for instance). Refuse to be made to feel guilty by people who say things like 'But what if there's an emergency?'

Emergencies are problematic in any situation, that's why they're emergencies. Now if you don't mind I'm going for a pootle round the lanes on my bystickle.

Being kind of dicks may be the only thing we have in common.

But I can appreciate that there are definitely times when some emergency has appeared and it's been a lot of work to sort something out without a car. It's just I look at these and go "well, I sorted it out in the end" and he looks at them and goes "but you could have saved 2 hours and a lot of money and stress if you could just get in the car and go, and maybe the next one will be even tougher". And if I cause stress and time-wasting and expense for myself, that's one thing, but if I'm letting other people down...

(I had a bad Easter Sunday one time when the cat got sick at night and I lived alone in the middle of nowhere and had to coordinate the only vet available being open for another hour 6 miles away but you have to book now, with the only taxi available being maybe able or maybe not to get me in 40+ minutes but the cat better not bleed on the seats, with the cat hiding under furniture and bleeding and glaring at me and definitely not wanting to come out and sit in a box, plus neither I nor the driver knew exactly where the vet was... but we got there. and back!)

I like driving and do it a lot when living in the USA but I'm not very good with a manual transmission and I'd like to be if I am going to relocate to Old Europe someday soon. It's just tough: there's a decent chance I'm going to burn the clutch out practicing, so is it cool to rent a car and then just practice for a few hours, given this risk? I can only practice with friends' cars for a short time since they obv don't want me destroying their clutches either.

still don't really get why you'd want a manual transmission; a friend who drives a car with one in the USA says it makes him feel superior to all the saps who don't know how to do it. I guess I can ride with that?

My parents have had a couple of automatics and I don't like 'em, they're always just a little too slow to change, especially uphill where they often just tried to struggle up in too high a gear. Also was never sure how to go about overtaking on a single carriageway, where sometimes you want to drop down a couple of gears to give yourself the power to get past in time.

They are great in urban traffic though.

This may be a matter where the monstrous engines of your typical car in the USA these days explains things. The cars I've driven in Europe have been a lot less powerful & so I can see what you mean, ledge. A few weeks ago we rented a car in France, yes, an automatic, and all they had was a Chevy SUV. So I was expecting some serious power from the engine but no, it struggled to make it up to 130 kph (took several minutes to reach that speed) and passing was a chore. On the other had it was a weird automatic/manual fusion: it had no clutch but I had to shift gears up/down with the stick. So I could drop down to pass if I wanted to. Since it's not my habit I didn't & it worked out fine.

Aren't all automatic cars like the one you're describing Euler? Automatic with a stick to shift gears IF you feel like it?

you can shift them into a lower gear for climbing mountains but that's about it

manuals get better gas mileage than automatics.

some cars come with a 'tiptronic' transmission that does let you shift up and down - not sure how it compares to a regular auto or a manual though

If you pass your driving test in the states using an automatic car, does it qualify you to drive a manual as well?

i have no intention of ever learning to drive.

driving is the best, but then my nearest city is an hour away and it would struggle to qualify as aa decent sized town anywhere else, so i basically live on my own scenic racetrack

Tomofthenest- yes. Not sure if you're kidding.

Driving seems like something that students should be required to learn, like reading. Not just for their own benefit, but for the safety of others who are put at risk with 40 year olds getting behind the wheel for the first time.

Instead we're put at risk having 16 year olds at the wheel.....

Jesse, I normally am kidding, but that was a straightforward, innocent question. UK licenses do make the distinction, 'nother example of US/UK o_O, I guess.

does seem a bit bizarre to let someone drive a manual shift without ever having used one, it's not completely trivial.

Yes, after I answered I thought about how much sense it would make to have a restriction on driving sticks if you don't GD KNOW HOW TO DO SO.

I passed my driving test in an automatic-transmission car, but both of my parents drove manuals, so I had to wait a few months after I turned 16 to get my license, so that my dad could teach me stick.

I wasn't sure if the "you can drive only automatics if you passed the test in one" was one of those received wisdoms that got debunked on QI...

I hated manual transmissions so much, and then, boom, my first car was manual. I'm very glad it was b/c otherwise I might not have learned to drive them well, and it's a useful skill.

I still don't like them and I hear sometimes that people like them b/c "I just feel more in control," and I think, WTF, you're not a Formula 1 driver, you're on stop-and-go Chicago streets! The automatics I have known (except for my poor, ancient BMW) have been very responsive and more than sufficient. That sort of preference for sticks seems annoyingly back-to-the-basics, like people who don't use their dishwashers.

if ur dishwasher makes your dishes shitty and no fun, then don't use it imo

a used manual trans car is significantly cheaper than an otherwise-identical automatic, that's the only reason i bought mine.

spacecadet, my husband doesn't drive either. He's the one who fully admits to being unobservant while I am naturally a defensive driver - I'm not sure I'd feel safe in a car with him driving as I know how he can only concentrate on one thing at a time. We've survived up til now without driving so I figure we should be fine with just the one of us doing it.

i have no intention of ever learning to drive.

I would strongly urge you to reconsider. I had the same motto. Then I met my husband and had two kids. My husband has a visual handicap. But even if he didn't, a license is ace. What if he has an accident or whatever and you need to get some place?

Noodles, how's the driving going? I'm always astounded when *older* people tell me they don't drive. I know lots don't, but I always thought I was the only one. lol

I did my first roadtrip. Okay, this is Belgium so it was only 1,5 hour (and 1,5 hr back). I was pretty fucking nervous (as I always am) but it went well. YAY. I still feel very uncomfortable driving. I am insecure on the whole. :-(

Thinking of taking the plunge and getting my driving licence. Can any Californians help me with a question - do I need to take the written test and obtain the 'permit' before even taking driving lessons? The DMV website isn't too clear. I'd prefer to take the written test after having a few lessons at least.
(In the UK you have to have a 'provisional' licence before taking lessons that afaict just confirms you're over 17, but you don't need to take the written test or anything to get it. This is why I'm slightly confused.)

So apparently you can start practical lessons before you get your permit, as long as you have a 'student license' which some of the driving schools will issue for you. So I've got my written test booked in and my first lesson behind a wheel since 10 years ago, next week... eek...

I can empathize w/ the anxiety of driving some of you express; I didn't get my license until I was 23, which made me an anomaly with my friends and in the social environment I grew up in. I didn't actually regularly drive and own a car until about 6-7 years ago.

In my case, the hang-up basically boiled down to a lack of self-confidence, which I had obscured over the years w/ various rationalizations. The turning point for me was getting into a relationship and being frustrated with myself yet again for not being able share equally in driving, whether it was mundane trips around town, or (especially) road trips. The lack of parity in this area became a point of contention between us. I'm grateful for how patient my partner (now wife) was with me while I got over it.

I found that small, repetitive trips (like to the supermarket, laundromat, etc.) were very helpful. Using the same round-trip route each time made it much easier to pay attention to variations in traffic, weather conditions, etc. Incrementally expanding my driving radius, and regularly trying things out of my comfort zone (e.g. dipping in and out of the freeway during commute hours) helped build up confidence, too.

And FWIW, I'm 42.

I was very nervous as a teenager, and didn't feel like I really "belonged" on the road. It's the exam situation that I absolutely hated and made me unable to think properly about what I was doing (or overthink it so much that it shot my mental processes to bits). I think in the 10+ years that have passed I'm generally more confident and I don't now automatically see every adult as an authority figure, so I'm hoping I can do this with a minimum amount of stress. Plus, everyone knows it's easier in the US, and I've had a few years of Mario Kart training now :)

I wish you success, NtVP!

And after reading this thread, I can't help but think of the film 'Happy-Go-Lucky'.

Thanks!

Ha. The first lesson was ok but it was my first time driving an automatic. It was a dual-control car so whenever my foot was off the brake but also not on the accelerator I assumed it was the instructor driving us forward as he did initially do all the gas/brake while I just steered. But it was the car! I didn't realise until the end of the lesson! This should be a piece of piss if I'm basically driving Herbie.

Also: in the California driving test - NO emergency stop, NO parallel parking and NO reversing round a corner.

I heard Arizona's driving test is written only!

Holy shit. That is so messed up, if it's true.

and they give it in braille

Didn't learn to drive properly until my early 40s. Enjoy it now, out of town, but have gone back to a bicycle 90% of the time in town because urban driving is crap and parking is expensive - as it should be. There should be no incentive at all to drive in a city, if you can do the journey another way.

Also: in the California driving test - NO emergency stop, NO parallel parking and NO reversing round a corner.

Easy as hell then. Just kidding. But if you don't need to parallel park - which I can understand cause it's not that necessary in California as opposed to Belgium - then you should be okay. Many here stumble over this. Reversing round a corner? I had to look that up. This is something we were never taught nor did we have to do this during the exam; We do need to make a u-turn (?) in a street. The important thing is not to go over the curb. But you'd have to be an idiot to do this (during the exam). You just need to do it slow enough (but not to slow lol).

Anyway I am still exceptionally nervous driving. Had a debacle the other day (had to pass a tractor while a car came from the opposite direction). Fuck I panicked like fuck. My friend waved it away saying I was overreacting.... I have been driving to "unknown" places though. Like on sunday I drove to parents in law which is 100 minutes going and again same amount of time back. I was tired and still am. lololol

everyone knows it's easier in the US

Apparently so.

Oh yeah, I was on a crossroads. I WAS ON IT. And even so I came from the right. But this fucking SUV with a bleeding idiot kept fucking driving! ARGH!!!!!! I scowled (?) at her when I went around her. GRRRRRRR. I hate people who take priority from the left.

I have to take a driver's test some time this week, assuming my friend with a car holds up her end of the deal of letting me use it to take the test in. Hope she does!

History shows that I have good reflexes in a crisis, but I'd get into fewer crises if I paid more attention to the boring parts of driving. :/

Same here. I'm easily distracted by pretty much everything on the road.

Tbh the first lesson was quite a bit harder than I was expecting - just getting in a car and getting used to how big it is, how much space you take up on the road, and trying to look in mirrors/all around as well as actually learning how to control it... it's a lot to do all at once. I think when I get a bit more used to controlling the car the rest of it should flow a bit more easily.

My driving instructor was nice, he got me to parallel park with my eyes closed... it was a total cheat under the guise of teaching me the best way to turn the wheel (and he was controlling the gas/brakes) but a nice trick!

Also: someone sent me some test questions for the written test (from an iPhone app). Some great multiple choice answers such as:
Q: What is the benefit of a space cushion around your vehicle?
"It inflates to protect you from injury in case of an accident"

when i was a kid, the test (in pennsylvania) wasn't standardized -- people would travel an hour and a half to a location that didn't require parallel parking.

i used to be a good driver, but now i feel like i'm not as aware of everything around me as i used to be. which is rough, because most of my current driving is done in nyc.

I think when I get a bit more used to controlling the car the rest of it should flow a bit more easily.

absolutely- and getting used to the dimensions of the car will make a big difference too.

I think when I get a bit more used to controlling the car the rest of it should flow a bit more easily.

I don't think of shifting gears anymore, it comes naturally.

That said, I'm still very nervous driving. Esp when you have a kid in the back screaming for mommy. :-)

I'm beginning to think I'm a hopeless case on this. I feel like I'm over the hump and basic driving around is easy enough now but every so often I do something just completely stupid, with no idea why I did it. Like not paying attention to oncoming traffic when turning left at an intersection. I feel like at pretty much any point in driving there are so many possible scenarios of what could happen that I can't react properly to them.

I'm a motorist.

NTRVP, I'm so relieved someone else feels that way. I last drove in 2005 and felt I could kill someone at any moment for that reason.

I drove on vacation, and it was awesome! Apparently I haven't forgotten a thing in the last 10 or 12 years.

OTOH, a fair amt of driving is assuming that other people will continue to do more or less what they're currently doing -- consistency is key -- while at the same time staying open to the chance that they will not.

Last drove regularly in 1994. A few refresher lessons in 2005 leading to nothing (and involving turning into oncoming traffic). Just had a 3-hour lesson today, driving in the US for the first time, and the first time driving an automatic. Removing the need to think about the gears has made all the difference in terms of not feeling overwhelmed by the road system. Actually enjoyed it (a bit).