Driving (and discussion concerning driving)

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by Vexx

That may be Nature's Way of saying to them, "Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with taxis, busses, and light rail"

I resent that comment Vexx, albiet it is a joke, but it depends on the circumstances of why she failed.
US get licences like sweets, probably cause its a country where no car = not going anywhere (for most part, it seemed that way when i travelled there)
especially in suburban areas...
Public transport?! What's that? -.-
I remember being told the circumstances of how to pass from Louisana, Cali and I think NY was the other state. I just looked at you all and went, you'd be chewed and spat out if you ever tried a UK test, believe me.

I have my own tales of woe, too. Mainly a case of money for young people here, we can't afford lessons to practice, so it can drag.
Speaking for myself, I got a test booked for early october ;_;
The rules change every freakin 6 months or so (you brits realise theory test went from 30 out of 35 to 43 out of 50 for part 1 for the questions part now?)

Any fellow brits who've recently passed over the last year, feel free to share experiences, i kinda wanna hear how you guys are getting past the ever getting stricter system (ever more expensive) system too.
I realise i better pass this, already out of £1k (2k dolalrs) over long ass track history, lol. And my theory plans to run out not too soon

So expsensive here *sigh*

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Mystique

You'd be chewed and spat out if you ever tried a UK test, believe me.

I have my own tales of woe, too. Mainly a case of money for young people here, we can't afford lessons to practice, so it can drag.

Any fellow brits who've recently passed over the last year, feel free to share experiences.

The only thing I can wholeheartedly thank the Singapore Armed Forces for is my driving licence. I was a motor transport officer, meaning to say, I was the man in charge of the unit's garage — all 170 three-ton trucks, landrovers, jeeps, unimogs, motorcyles, mini-buses and utility cars. So, they decided that I needed to know how to drive. And seeing as the Army needs to keep things simple for the grunts who are tasked to be vocational drivers, I breezed through the written tests (heheh).

To be sure though, I was a natural behind the wheel. I don't know if that's because the NCO instructor was saving his venom for the lower-ranked privates in the class (heheheh, ahh, the privilege of rank), but I do remember grasping the basics of controlling the clutch, signalling, steering, road awareness and defensive driving within a couple of days. Cross-country driving was especially fun. We had to learn how to apply differential gears to negotiate muddy roads and very steep inclines. Unfortunately, I've forgotten most of those skills (and lost most of my nerve) by now.

There was a major problem though: I could not convert my military driving licence into a civilian licence because I was not a driver by vocation (officially, I'm a combat officer, damned). -________-

That had to wait until I was studying in Britain, when I started taking token driving lessons in order to book a test. I thought I'd pass easily. Boy was I wrong. It took me three attempts to pass the theoretical tests, which made me the butt of countless dorm jokes, because they were multiple-choice questions. Well, to be fair, how was I supposed to know the British road sign for "beware of horses" or other such nonsense? The only animals you'd find on Singapore roads are roadkill.

So, shock and horror, I actually had to study to pass the theory segment.

The practical test, on the other hand, went extremely well. The examiner felt confident enough to hold a conversation with me throughout the test. After the test, he plainly told me, "It's obvious that you have driven before."

Not bad, considering how I was inwardly petrified whenever I came to a roundabout in Britain — they hardly exist in Singapore any more, so I'm naturally unfamiliar with the rules for entering and exiting one. I generally found British traffic much faster than I'm used to back home. And I always dreaded being overtaken by massive 18-wheelers.

After passing the tests, I enjoyed several road trips around the country in my final year at university, from John o' Groats to Land's End, in a nimble little Fiat Punto. It was very pleasant to drive along the A-roads of Cornwall, and the road along Loch Ness offers stunning views. But I nearly ran into a deer in the Highlands in the night — that gave me a very big fright.

Once I got home, converting the British licence into a Singapore licence was a simple affair. Unfortunately, I've since lost the British licence, which is a great pity, considering how I had been using it as my identity document while I was an undergraduate. It carried a lot of sentimental value.

[Sides]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Any fellow brits who've recently passed over the last year, feel free to share experiences, i kinda wanna hear how you guys are getting past the ever getting stricter system (ever more expensive) system too.
I realise i better pass this, already out of £1k (2k dolalrs) over long ass track history, lol. And my theory plans to run out not too soon

So expsensive here *sigh*

Well i did my licence when i was in germany many years ago, i personally think the german system more strict than what we have in the UK, no first aid and other stuff. I was shocked that people here in the UK don't get taught how to use the engine brake.
For the theory test, just use your common sense and read all the questions and anwsers carefully, before ticking anything.
As for the practical test, do a bit overacting, so the assesor can actually see what you're doing. But make sure you pay attention what is going in front of you and of course around you. I reckon most peole fail either because they're too confident or are too scary.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Mystique

I resent that comment Vexx, albiet it is a joke, but it depends on the circumstances of why she failed.
US get licences like sweets, probably cause its a country where no car = not going anywhere (for most part, it seemed that way when i travelled there)
especially in suburban areas...
Public transport?! What's that? -.-
I remember being told the circumstances of how to pass from Louisana, Cali and I think NY was the other state. I just looked at you all and went, you'd be chewed and spat out if you ever tried a UK test, believe me.

I apologize for that mostly because I failed to look at where you're posting from. I assumed the US (my bad), because you're right --- our US tests for licensing are a total joke. The results are fatally obvious everytime I take a drive. Going into the licensing bureau always makes me ill when I watch whom they give licenses to...

I keep advocating for yearly checkrides (like all US aero-pilots have to take) and much more extensive testing before the first licensing.

I keep hoping gas hits $10/gal simply because it might force us into rebuilding our public transit infrastructure nationwide (we really did use to have a cobbled together set of systems).

[FLCL]

god i love driving, i compete in autocross with a 2.2L impreza , also have a FC rx7 im going to prep for drift next year, and a sc300 which is ironically my daily driver.

i get pulled over so much it isnt even funny, but at least 0 tickets in my 3 years of driving.

i agree though, im appalled at hte lack of driving skill, a simple measure to ensure good drivers? MAKE ALL CARS Manual transmission. Automatic transmissions make any able to point and drive, terrible terrible terrible. If everyone driving knew how to drive a 5 speed, the overall quality of the roads would greatly increase, and those who couldn't drive one, are off the street, aka most bad drivers...cough soccer moms, cough women XD

[Quzor]

Getting licensed to drive a car in Michigan is a joke. I was driving my parents' cars when I was 12 (to the store, the gas station, etc.), well before I was licensed. I suppose that helped me pass my drivers test but, really, I knew I was going to pass long before I got into the seat to do it.

You're eligible to start driver's training at 14 yrs. 9 mts. in Michigan. The course comes in two parts, with a written test after each part. If you don't have enough common sense to pass the written tests, you have bigger problems than not being able to get your license (Example question from Part I test: "When you come to a red light, you should: A.) Stop B.) Slow down C.) Look both ways, then proceed D.) Speed through as fast as you can)

Then there's the driving test where, again, common sense should come well into play. How you drive for a drivers test, and how you drive once you have your license are two completely different things, though they should be the same, I suppose. Hands at 10 and 2, look both ways at each intersection, stop at train tracks, signal for turns, pass. Hell, I even completely botched the parallel parking, and sped like a son-of-a-bitch, and I passed the test (I still continue to do the latter...I'm a pro at PP now =P). Maybe it's only that way in Michigan but, hell, if I'd have failed at any point, I'd probably have given up on life altogether.

[FLCL]

i dont understand what is so hard about parrallel parking, when i have to do it, i just visualize where i want the car to go, and drive accordingly. the hardest thing which isnt hard is shifting between reverse and 1st gear. which is not hard at all.

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I keep hoping gas hits $10/gal simply because it might force us into rebuilding our public transit infrastructure nationwide (we really did use to have a cobbled together set of systems).

Yes, well, it's a nice dream.

It's really a different situation out here in the West though. It does seem problematic to establish a European- or Japanese-style public transportation system when all we have are huge sprawling suburban cities and keep them running in the black. Certain Californian metropolises or Seattle up north might be able to do it (and by the gods LA for one should do it, ugh that horrid traffic), but no way in hell can Vegas or Phoenix or other "smaller" and more spread-out places can. The best we have here is the tourist-favored system in the Strip.

I for one have to drive, like it or not, to college and to any other location I need to go in everyday life. There might be occasions that I consider a bitter medicine like extremely expensive oil prices worth it in the long run, but then next morning I went and start the engine and the medicine seems particularly, hmm, bitter...

Originally Posted by FLCL

i agree though, im appalled at hte lack of driving skill, a simple measure to ensure good drivers? MAKE ALL CARS Manual transmission. Automatic transmissions make any able to point and drive, terrible terrible terrible.

Hey now, convenience isn't a crime you know.

I personally don't really care if a fellow driver isn't the most skilled driver in the world; you drive for three months and anyone's good to go. I'd much prefer that the person be more respectful of other drivers than anything else really.

Skilled or unskilled, if that sonofabitch keeps tailing me or speed and constantly change lanes left and right (I kept asking myself: what the -fuck- are they thinking?), it's a danger to everyone on the road either way. Oh, and the whole "old people" + slow-ass driving thing is also dangerous, since it makes people (me included) impatient and irritated, and normally respectful drivers can turn snippy if sufficiently annoyed.

Oh, and ban the cellphone.

[FLCL]

amen on teh cellphone

but theyre is so much more you can do with a 5 speed than auto in the hands of the informed. XD

Dont get me started and bad driving, im a ski instructor in the mountains, during the winter, i have personally seen and almost been in some of hte most horrifying accidents ever. ussually due to 18 wheelers or moms in chevy suburbans thinking both lanes are theres. I think SUVs are a big cause, theyre terrible visibility inside of them, all of my cars i can see around me, in an SUV not so much.

[Guernsey]

Has anyone here had trouble with the written test of the driving exam? I know it is multiple choice but seriously, I had a difficult time especially with those trick questions they dish out at you. Is there any website I can go to to prepare? I realize not a lot of people live in Ohio.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Originally Posted by Vexx

That may be Nature's Way of saying to them, "Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with taxis, busses, and light rail"

I haven't taken them myself, Vexx... lol ^^ (well... I did once when my youngest sister asked me for help, so I said, why not)

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by Guernsey

Has anyone here had trouble with the written test of the driving exam? I know it is multiple choice but seriously, I had a difficult time especially with those trick questions they dish out at you. Is there any website I can go to to prepare? I realize not a lot of people live in Ohio.

I failed once, an epic 39 out of 50 (cut off line, lol). The trick-and-common-sense questions aren't your problems; rather, study the book closely, and be particular with the numbers and the specifics: those are what got me.

They don't ask obvious questions like what a big red stop sign do (if you don't already know, stay off the road please! ), and if they do it's your free point; they ask less obvious questions like what their DMC handbook says on the distance needed for so-and-so, the fine for not having insurance, or something ridiculously un-obvious like that.

But really, it's easy. Next time around I nearly aced with my eyes closed.

[mg1942]

Is driving a car with manual transmission a dying art? I once thought learning and mastering manual shifting (or stick shift) would open you to higher performance cars, but the new breed of high performance cars with DSGs (Direct-Shift Gearbox) with paddle shifters are now available for the masses. I swear people who drive automatic can master DSG paddle shifting in just few hours.

Videos of cars with DSGs and how it works...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmMNRQ1GJ3o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EdjEE0edPw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Fo4ZpdZ94

[Vexx]

I took my first driving test in ....1974. I remember being queried on what the minimum distance in feet I had to be from a bridge to legally pass a car before reaching the bridge. There were several questions about braking distances under various weather conditions.

In 1992, I took the test in my current State I am located ..... o my god, it was lame. Mostly big pretty pictures and simple sentences.

[finalfantasyfanatic]

I hate the new driving system in Australia, it's not really fair and very expensive not just for the learners but also families. Recently for learner driver's it's expensive as hell and I thought it was hard when I went for my P's. About a year ago it was about $50 to book a test or driving lesson and you had to be on your L's for 6 months. Now I think it's about $100 for a test and you need to still pay more for your license, not only that you need 100 hours driving plus something like 10 hours night driving. My little sister seems to have already given up on driver and that leaves me and mum to act as chauffeurs when neither of us have that much free time.

Although I love driving (manual cars), I just get bored during the 15-20 minute trip to town. But I find with the P plates (I managed to dodge the new Learner system) you still get a bit of a hard time from other drivers.

For example I drove up to a road construction area and the guy that tells you to stop or go freaked out and I thought I ran over a cable or something so I stopped on the spot. Any way the jerk comes over and gets up me for not staying more then 10 meters away from him and said I should have been fined for it. I told mum and dad and we looked it up but couldn't find such a rule, I still drive up to those people since most of them are fine to let you stop not far from right in front of them.

I think the new learning/driving system is partly a ploy to get more money out of people though.

[Jaden]

Ouch, most I've gotten is a parking ticket. Also once crashed in the rear of a van with my dad's car. Funnily, that turned out less expensive than getting fined for speeding or somesuch.

[FLCL]

god you people outside of the us are so lucky though, getting a jdm car in the US is IMPOSSIBLE

id trade that anyday, 1991 GTR would be <3

for road racing.autoX, paddle shifting is superior to 5 speed though, even the most lightning quick shifts are no match for paddle shifting speed.

[mg1942]

Originally Posted by FLCL

god you people outside of the us are so lucky though, getting a jdm car in the US is IMPOSSIBLE

id trade that anyday, 1991 GTR would be <3

for road racing.autoX, paddle shifting is superior to 5 speed though, even the most lightning quick shifts are no match for paddle shifting speed.

Meh GT-Rs are overrated

There is a car that is as capable as Skyline GT-R and it's called Supra Mk IV Turbo. There's plenty of Supras in the US. Its 2JZ-GTE engine has variable valve timing and is much more durable than Skyline GT-R's RB26DETT. Also note that export Supra Mk IV Turbo stock has more power than JDM (JDM's 280 hp vs US's 310 hp).

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by Mystique

I have my own tales of woe, too. Mainly a case of money for young people here, we can't afford lessons to practice, so it can drag.
Speaking for myself, I got a test booked for early october ;_;
The rules change every freakin 6 months or so (you brits realise theory test went from 30 out of 35 to 43 out of 50 for part 1 for the questions part now?)

Any fellow brits who've recently passed over the last year, feel free to share experiences, i kinda wanna hear how you guys are getting past the ever getting stricter system (ever more expensive) system too.
I realise i better pass this, already out of £1k (2k dolalrs) over long ass track history, lol. And my theory plans to run out not too soon

So expsensive here *sigh*

The questions part was evil...I blame myself for not reading over the book cover by cover before hitting the 35 questions choice test. After failing that it was boosted up to 50 questions >.>

Thankfully though, I did read the book afterwards and got a full 50

As for the driving part of the test. Passed second try even though I felt that my first attempt was better than my second. I was so sure that I've failed it so was completely overwhelmed when the examiner said that I've passed.

That was a few months ago and I still don't have a car guess I won't need one just yet for where I'm going. I don't know how things have changed now for people still taking lessons. My heart goes out to them knowing how much I've spent on lessons myself

[Superchop]

Originally Posted by mg1942

Is driving a car with manual transmission a dying art?

Lol, it sure is....

around where i live the only people that know how to drive manuals are either posers who can't really drive them but pretend like they can, elitists that think they're better then everyone else (yet still can't drive them properly), people that come from other countries where automatics were a rarity, or people like me who just prefer more then pressing the gas and the brakes (which are very few).

But i think people are just too intimidated by the shifter and the clutch pedal. I forced myself to learn by buying a manual tranny car when i didn't really know how to drive stick and i picked up on it rather quick. It's really pretty simple once you get the basics and don't freak out WHEN you stall the car. Lol...notice i said "when" and not "if"