US Driving test - Lord fe*k a duck
Discussion
So I passed my Massachusetts driving test today but it was the most stressful 7 minutes of my life. After checking the car and doing hand signals and all that good stuff we get out on the road and the guy sounds like the drill sgt from Full Metal Jacket. Shouting orders while in the same shouty voice telling me to relax. We go around a residential area and I take it easy as there are road works going on and maybe kids about and I get shouted at for being too cautious and that I should relax, I always relax while being shouted at. I am trying to remember my defensive and safe driving from my UK test many moons ago and all I am getting is aggro especially when I was making a turn and someone came up behind me, up on the verge and around so I let him go past before continuing. Oh he didn't like that, I was clogging up the road you see. Final thing is the parallel park and yeah I had to park between two huge SUVs next to a curb hidden by snow so but I did it for England and then came the full 2 minutes (of the whole 7 minute driving test) of how I was too cautious and a danger on the road should be more aggressive. Cue a bit of hard scribbling and I get my permit back validated as a temp driving license while my photo card one is sent to me. So the guy had just spent the whole time shouting and he had just said I was dangerous but still passed me.
I was very very confused and suffering from shell shock. My colleague from work who had come along as my sponsor just looked at me and we had no idea what had just happened. So afterwards I looked it up and it seems that until last year all the examiners were State Troopers and they were replaced with civilians. Most not wanting to go back to State Troopering resigned and become civilian examiners but still have the shoutiness.
In before Super Cool Story Bro.
I was very very confused and suffering from shell shock. My colleague from work who had come along as my sponsor just looked at me and we had no idea what had just happened. So afterwards I looked it up and it seems that until last year all the examiners were State Troopers and they were replaced with civilians. Most not wanting to go back to State Troopering resigned and become civilian examiners but still have the shoutiness.
In before Super Cool Story Bro.
A friend got a US license, did it in a work colleague's 4x4. Had made one turning and the instructor said, 'You've clearly driven before, we'll have no problems'!
Always makes me think of Borat and the skill of the instructor wrenching the wheel in the most controlled manner I've ever seen, clearly through sheer experience. Terrifying.
Always makes me think of Borat and the skill of the instructor wrenching the wheel in the most controlled manner I've ever seen, clearly through sheer experience. Terrifying.
When I did my test in Illinois, my examiner was more interested in whether the pedals were in reverse order in a RHD car.
T.B.F. having seen some of the dodgy driving standards round here, these guys must have a pretty stressful job - to use the old quote "any test you walk away from is a good one"
T.B.F. having seen some of the dodgy driving standards round here, these guys must have a pretty stressful job - to use the old quote "any test you walk away from is a good one"
I took mine in NC, was an absolute ease, the guy was more interested in MG's and saying his family came from Stoke..
Of course, a little flattering of how Stoke is such a great place to live in UK and saying that my Father had an MGC.. Done the trick. My actual drive out test went about 200 yards, turn around and drive back to the test centre.
Pass with flying colours. As did the misses and another guy here from England.
Driving standards are shocking here, during my theory test, a Japanese lady was going through the signs test with an examiner - she couldn't even read English, she just recognized the sign shapes, but not the text.. The guy was livid for her stupidity, he failed her there and then. Good for him.....
Of course, a little flattering of how Stoke is such a great place to live in UK and saying that my Father had an MGC.. Done the trick. My actual drive out test went about 200 yards, turn around and drive back to the test centre.
Pass with flying colours. As did the misses and another guy here from England.
Driving standards are shocking here, during my theory test, a Japanese lady was going through the signs test with an examiner - she couldn't even read English, she just recognized the sign shapes, but not the text.. The guy was livid for her stupidity, he failed her there and then. Good for him.....
Edited by bridgdav on Wednesday 9th January 01:28
I took mine in NJ. You don't step in a car if you have a UK license. Just the theory test. But, the theory test can be a b
h. They ask you details of fines for drink driving. These vary depending on age and the dollar values are pulled out of thin air.
If rather do the MA road test than the NJ theory.
h. They ask you details of fines for drink driving. These vary depending on age and the dollar values are pulled out of thin air. If rather do the MA road test than the NJ theory.
I spent three years out there, on a USAF exchange, I never took a test, I was issued with a drivers license, as opposed to a driving licence, in the same way I was issued with a USAF ID card, although I was told to also carry my British ones as well (they were somewhat bemused by my paper licence).
A lot of their military vehicles were manual, as were their motorcycles of course.
I found their driving to be ok most of the time, just slower than here, with a tendancy to sommetimes drive on the right !
A lot of their military vehicles were manual, as were their motorcycles of course.
I found their driving to be ok most of the time, just slower than here, with a tendancy to sommetimes drive on the right !
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