THE BORE
General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: cloudwalking on August 29, 2006, 02:33:52 AM
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Let me just get this out of the way first -- I am a terrible driver. If I'm behind the wheel, get off the sidewalk folks.
I've heard all of the women driver jokes so you can save those too.
Anyway. My parents are getting a new car, so they'll have 3 cars here now, and one will be for me to use. However, I don't have my drivers licence. There are a few reasons why:
- I am a really horrible driver
- Driving makes me nervous
- Don't need to drive to get to work since I've carpooled
- I live within walking distance of a lot of stores, theatre and stuff
- I lived across the street from the school in high school, and then I was homeschooled
- I failed my driver's test 3 times in the past, so it seems like I will never pass anyway!
Well, since this new car is coming into play it's a pretty big incentive to get my licence. Especially since the car would basically be free to me except for gas (my parents are paying the rest).
My biggest problem is that I'm a really bad driver. Mentioning that I have failed my driver's test 3 times is a pretty good indicator of that.
I get real nervous behind the wheel, especially at the test, and as a result I make a shit load of really stupid mistakes (i.e. running a fucking stop sign, wow that was embarassing). :duh
I have practiciced driving. I took driver's ed, I do have my permit, etc. I've done my time in that respect. I do try, I think it's just something I really suck at and the nervousness doesn't help!
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any constructive tips/tricks/stories to share? I'm booking another driver's test to go to in a few weeks and I would really like to pass it this time. I don't know anyone who has failed it more than twice, I look like a pretty big idiot when I say I've failed it 3 times.
It's not fun when you take time off work, waste half a day driving to the DMV, waiting, and taking the test only to fail it.
Please help me evilbore!! :(
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Aww thats so cute a woman driving. :P Seriously though, can't help you I need to take mine soon as well. :(
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Flirt with the guy that scores your test. If not, you will fail lol
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Wear a bra as a top.
(http://www.brendastrong.com/images/caddy2.jpg)
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Spend some time in a parking lot being learing to be percise about movements, to get a feel for the steering, paying attention to how the car responds. Learn to be a minimalist about inputs. Take Drivers ED again. Maybe with a differnt guy. Basically try to find one that's really strict about mistakes, and sub consciously drills routines into you brain. You shoudn't get nervous if the instructor catches ALL your mistakes anyway. So you should go out of your way to to be reckless.
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Let me just get this out of the way first -- I am a terrible driver. If I'm behind the wheel, get off the sidewalk folks.
I've heard all of the women driver jokes so you can save those too.
Anyway. My parents are getting a new car, so they'll have 3 cars here now, and one will be for me to use. However, I don't have my drivers licence. There are a few reasons why:
- I am a really horrible driver
- Driving makes me nervous
- Don't need to drive to get to work since I've carpooled
- I live within walking distance of a lot of stores, theatre and stuff
- I lived across the street from the school in high school, and then I was homeschooled
- I failed my driver's test 3 times in the past, so it seems like I will never pass anyway!
Well, since this new car is coming into play it's a pretty big incentive to get my licence. Especially since the car would basically be free to me except for gas (my parents are paying the rest).
My biggest problem is that I'm a really bad driver. Mentioning that I have failed my driver's test 3 times is a pretty good indicator of that.
I get real nervous behind the wheel, especially at the test, and as a result I make a shit load of really stupid mistakes (i.e. running a fucking stop sign, wow that was embarassing). :duh
I have practiciced driving. I took driver's ed, I do have my permit, etc. I've done my time in that respect. I do try, I think it's just something I really suck at and the nervousness doesn't help!
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any constructive tips/tricks/stories to share? I'm booking another driver's test to go to in a few weeks and I would really like to pass it this time. I don't know anyone who has failed it more than twice, I look like a pretty big idiot when I say I've failed it 3 times.
It's not fun when you take time off work, waste half a day driving to the DMV, waiting, and taking the test only to fail it.
Please help me evilbore!! :(
I didn't know you were Asian, Cloud. ::)
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Perhaps practice in a parking lot more. If you know the usual drivers test route for your area, practice that. I didn't pass my first time, but my tester was a bitch. The second time I had a relaxed guy and got a great score.
You need to find something that relaxes you while you drive. I used music, but the problem with that is you can't have music during a test. The basic way it is though, the more you drive the more comfortable you are. An easy to drive car helps a lot as well. What sort of car will you be using?
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What sort of car will you be using?
Probably a Ford Contour. It's a little car which is good, I hate huge cars.
I did have shitty tester guys each and every time. Actually, the second time the guy was trying to have a conversation with me about North Dakota WHILE he was giving me the test. ::) That was distracting, and I was all like WTF is this shit?
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Cloudwalking: You're 19, right? That's when I got my license, too.
You can do it. If you take it and fail, remember what you REALLY messed up on, and focus on improving that. You can practice at the driver's center on weekends if you want. For example, I could do everything BUT parallel parking (I am still terrible at it, and always will be), so I kept practicing until I could pull it off for the time being. I failed the test twice, passed the third time.
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Have you tried professional driving lessons yet?
I took 2 classes and pasted my test the 1st time. Think I should take them again because I haven't been driving that much over that last few years. I got into a pretty bad accident about 5 years ago (not my fault someone ran a red light and hit me) and since then I get a little nervous behind the wheel.
You are a gamer so think of it like a game. Practice and you'll get better.
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I failed 3 times (twice driving, once on those cones) also. Don't feel bad.
Having the right car is important, second is making sure you take your time. No one has ever failed because they did something slowly. Drive 5-10 mph below the speed limit, turn your signal on early, take slow turns. Be cautious. A driving instructor is more likely to pass someone who errors on the side of caution, than some hotshot who takes shortcuts.
Also, see if there are other testing facilities in your area. Maybe a nearby rural town/city. They are much more lenient in passing people.
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I ran a red light (barely) during my driving test and still got my license, but the course was offered at my high school, and it was my history teacher grading me.
Driving is nothing to be afraid of. Old people and teenagers do it, it really isn't that hard.
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I passed my test the first time. I just had to go down a few streets and show that I know hot to stop at signs, turn my blinkers on and how to K turn.
Keep both hands on the wheel, 9 and 2 O'clock.
Keep your eyes straight ahead but don't really focus on anything, keep a peripheral view of everything in front of you.
Anticipate lights. If you see a intersection or something like it down the line, anticipate the stop...put your foot on the brake (but don't brake yet) and let the car coast. People have this thing where they need to accelerate to a stop sign/ set of lights.
Keep to the left side of the street near the middle of the road. Stay on your side obviously but its best to do this since you'll get a better view of whats beyond bends, pedestrians and you won't be worried about veering into something on the side of the road.
Don't play catchup with cars. If you have a nice amount of space in between you and the next car, just stay where you are.
If your close to the back end of another car, just decelerate and put some room between you and the car. Depending you your reaction timeing being too close to a car can really turn you into a bad driver.
If a car behind you is tailing you too closely, don't speed up. Just go the speed thats comfortable for you, don't let other dickheads on the road force you into going speeds you don't want.
Don't be tense! Seriously. I was nervous about driving at first but its cake. Mistakes come from being nervous. In this case, there are millions upon millions of drivers in the world, it isn't hard and shouldn't make you as apprehensive as you seem to be about it.
Thats about it. Just do it up, don't worry about what other people think about your driving skills. Just worry about driving by the book and driving like a regular normal driver.
:)
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I failed the first time I took the test. What I learned: No matter how good your driving skills are, don't forget to turn on your windshield wipers if it starts raining during the test. :-\
YOU CAN DO IT :heartbeat
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Driving is nothing to be afraid of. Old people and teenagers do it
Those two groups are why you SHOULD be afraid of driving!
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You need to stop worrying. Let me rub your shoulders, and let your hair down. I want to gently suck on your feet; each toe deserves special attention, the attention their body has so long craved. I can feel an empty space inside you, hiding, hiding, hiding away in the corner where no light shines. Let me be your light. I will take it to the deepest parts of your body, until I expose the beautiful woman behind the shades. The smell of hope and sweat greets my nose as I dive into the depths of your womb; someday a child might be brought through this dock, but right now I can only stir the waves back and forth with my tongue. A faint flutter arises. A pause. And waves flow back and forth building momemtum, building pressure, building excitement. The dock explodes, yet no harm is done. Only the deep smile of a woman done right.
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Phoenix Dark: do I need to punch you?
second, there are complete FOOLS on the road. If THEY can drive im sure you can. I can never understand driving phobias. The only legitimate fear is of everyone else, but even then if you gotta drive you gotta drive. cant run from it forever.
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play some driving games like 18 wheeler trucker. I was nervous about driving...so much so I didn't get my license to kill until I was 18. Once I got in a empty parking lot and got use to the lines and whatnot I became a driving master including driving in blinding rain and snow with no problems. All you need is a open space with lines and time. You'll get use to it
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haha 18 wheel trucker, of all the driving games to recommend :D
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I have the perfect way to help you!
Drive yourself to Pennsylvania, and say "Sup Ecro!"
If you can make it to my house, you'll be able to pass the test without problems!
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I have the perfect way to help you!
Drive yourself to Pennsylvania, and say "Sup Ecro!"
If you can make it to my house, you'll be able to pass the test without problems!
The roads in your neck of the woods aren't so bad...
It's what we have to deal with over here in Western PA that puts our state on the map as being like the second worst place in the country for bad roads. :lol
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You've apparantly never been quite to my neck of the woods!
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Apparently not.
Now that we're talking about PA... you central PA people have absolutely no personality! No offense!
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None taken at all, as I am from Northeast PA!
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None taken at all, as I am from Northeast PA!
Close enough! :D
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Wrong!
Here is a map of my house!
(http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8177/testrj2.jpg)
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Oh, right. I forgot the convo we had about your county.
Sorry about that. Can't speak for you, but Central PA people really can be assholes :P
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Thanks for the help everyone, I am making my appointment on Thursday, and then I'll know when the test is. I'm going to practice parking sometime in the evening when the huge parking lot at the high school across the street is empty.
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I totally failed the parallel parking, and they'll probably try and trick you into changing lanes in an intersection.
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Well I failed one because I ran a stop sign, which was really bad, but it was just a bad situation. Here's a diagram:
(http://www.cloudwalking.net/img/drive.jpg)
It was one of those shitty Y-intersections and he wanted me to go right at the church, while the church half-blocks the stop sign, not to mention there was a distracting gigantic fucking wedding party there crowding across the church's tiny front yard. Also, I had never encountered this type of intersection before. Needless to say with all of the confusion and trying not to hit any people at the wedding I totally missed the stop sign, in fact when he first said to me "you just ran a stop sign" I didn't believe him.
This was also the guy who insisted on chatting with me about North Dakota while I was taking the test.
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You should've been like, "You're cute... call me" and gave him the hotline for a gay phone sex chat.
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You should've been like, "You're cute... call me" and gave him the hotline for a gay phone sex chat.
He was like 60 years old. :yuck
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Even better scenario.
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:lol :lol :lol
Kinda OT, but I'm not too keen on driving... I actually don't mind walking from place to place or bumming rides off of friends. That, and I won't have to shell out cash for gas every few miles. :-[
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They chat with you on purpose. I bet you can ask them to not talk, then when they try and argue the logic that people will be in your car chatting you can say:
"No they wont"
"You cant be sure"
"YES, I CAN be sure. Now don't talk, just grade me."
"what if you have kids"
"oh so now youre my family planner"
"you have a bad attitude"
"plenty of people drive in silence with a bad attitude every day, its called a commute, look it up"
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Or you could murder a nerdy clock puncher who lives alone, steal his driver license and you're off scott free!
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lol, pretty pathetic story.
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Did you take driving classes?
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Did you take driving classes?
Yeah, I had I think 100 hours behind the wheel and I forget how many hours in simulation.
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I totally failed the parallel parking, and they'll probably try and trick you into changing lanes in an intersection.
The girl that failed me did that to me! She had me try to switch lanes right after making a left turn when there was only a tiny space between a van and an 18*wheeler.
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Yeah, I had I think 100 hours behind the wheel and I forget how many hours in simulation.
meh. good luck.
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I imagine, when cloud is on the road, she leaves a wake of destruction.
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That goes for anywhere!
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You dont need to pass parallel parking to get a license, most people dont do it anyway. Just focus on getting everything else down, and be aware they will try to trick you.
Dont engage them in conversation, if they confront you about not engaging them tell them you'd rather be rude and drive safely. If they challenge that, stop the car and demand another instructor. They can dick around with you to a point.
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When I failed my first time I failed parrel parking so they didn't take me on the road.
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I totally failed parallel parking and that wasnt even a big deal lol
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That's because you did your tester, didn't you?
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No, I think the trick is driving to a small town and challenging their DMV, cause they're not quite as insane probably. I tested in a small town, and they're used to watching DUKES OF HAZZARD so they're like WOW U DRIVE BUT GOOD
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I forgot a light turned green and got honked at and went 20 mph over the speed limit at one time and I still passed after I failed before for parrel parking.
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I think as a joke, I would try and do the craziest shit possible.
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Like drive on the opposite side of the road while screaming BUGGERY CHAP BLIMEY
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:lol :lol
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I failed THREE times before I got my license. It's all nerves, and the asshole instructors prey on it -- and it didn't help that my parents gave me shit every time I failed: "any idiot can drive! You have an IQ of ***, how can you fail a driving test?" ad nauseum. That really only made my nerves worse, since the last place you wanna be doubting yourself is on the road.
It was easy the 4th time. I was so despondent that I just said "FUCKIT, at this point my pride is shot" and having accepted that it'd probably take 10 or 20 times before I finally got it -- if ever -- I passed with an 80 (failed parallel parking and ran a yellow). w00t.
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took mine in Spokane, WA it was easy except i failed my parallel also
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Like drive on the opposite side of the road while screaming BUGGERY CHAP BLIMEY
:lol
CHEERIO WANKAS!
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I made the driving test my bitch.
And then I backed up into a parked car after a few months of driving.
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Well, I'm bumping this because my test is on Thursday. I've been practicing quite a bit and I really hope I can pass this time :S The only thing I am having real trouble with is backing into a parking spot. I need to work on that a bit more tomorrow night. :duh
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Well, I'm bumping this because my test is on Thursday. I've been practicing quite a bit and I really hope I can pass this time :S The only thing I am having real trouble with is backing into a parking spot. I need to work on that a bit more tomorrow night. :duh
I used to practice parking by driving around in empty highschool/college/etc parking lots. I'd just try to fit the car into the space perfectly. After I mastered that I started heading off to grocery stores and parking near other cars.
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Damn, I was hoping this bump was because you failed.
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Damn, I was hoping this bump was because you failed.
I don't know anyone who's failed a god damn driver's test. :lol
I didn't even study for the written test and still passed. Wearing the beer goggles is definitely the best thing about driver's training though
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Well, I'm bumping this because my test is on Thursday. I've been practicing quite a bit and I really hope I can pass this time :S The only thing I am having real trouble with is backing into a parking spot. I need to work on that a bit more tomorrow night. :duh
I used to practice parking by driving around in empty highschool/college/etc parking lots. I'd just try to fit the car into the space perfectly. After I mastered that I started heading off to grocery stores and parking near other cars.
Yeah, I'm going to practice backing at the high school across the street tomorrow after school lets out. It's a big area with lots of room to prevent me hitting anything. :)
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Well, I'm bumping this because my test is on Thursday. I've been practicing quite a bit and I really hope I can pass this time :S The only thing I am having real trouble with is backing into a parking spot. I need to work on that a bit more tomorrow night. :duh
I used to practice parking by driving around in empty highschool/college/etc parking lots. I'd just try to fit the car into the space perfectly. After I mastered that I started heading off to grocery stores and parking near other cars.
Yeah, I'm going to practice backing at the high school across the street tomorrow after school lets out. It's a big area with lots of room to prevent me hitting anything. :)
Yup, that's the thing to do. I find that driving is all about taking your time. When I'm in a hurry, bad things happen. Since "bad things" can be a serious problem on the road, I take my time with everything. Everyone says I drive like an old grandma, but it keeps me safe. If someone stops ahead of me and tries to make a turn, I wait for them; changing lanes raises the chances of accidents, and it's not like I'm in a hurry sooo much I have to pass everyone.
It keeps me punctual. If I have to be somewhere in thirty minutes, I leave well enough in advance that I can take my time and not rush things. People behind me might give me dirty looks, but who cares. I'm not risking my health so someone can speed off as fast as they can towards the next red light.
You'll do fine as long as you take your time. :)
btw are you the oldest person in your driver's training class?
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The driver's test means shit anyway. I passed my first time easily, but I'm a fucking horrible driver. I have way too much road rage.
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Well, I'm bumping this because my test is on Thursday. I've been practicing quite a bit and I really hope I can pass this time :S The only thing I am having real trouble with is backing into a parking spot. I need to work on that a bit more tomorrow night. :duh
I used to practice parking by driving around in empty highschool/college/etc parking lots. I'd just try to fit the car into the space perfectly. After I mastered that I started heading off to grocery stores and parking near other cars.
Yeah, I'm going to practice backing at the high school across the street tomorrow after school lets out. It's a big area with lots of room to prevent me hitting anything. :)
Yup, that's the thing to do. I find that driving is all about taking your time. When I'm in a hurry, bad things happen. Since "bad things" can be a serious problem on the road, I take my time with everything. Everyone says I drive like an old grandma, but it keeps me safe. If someone stops ahead of me and tries to make a turn, I wait for them; changing lanes raises the chances of accidents, and it's not like I'm in a hurry sooo much I have to pass everyone.
It keeps me punctual. If I have to be somewhere in thirty minutes, I leave well enough in advance that I can take my time and not rush things. People behind me might give me dirty looks, but who cares. I'm not risking my health so someone can speed off as fast as they can towards the next red light.
You'll do fine as long as you take your time. :)
btw are you the oldest person in your driver's training class?
Yeah, I drive really slow, too :lol And I'm always on time. So I'll probably end up having to leave for work a little earlier. :P
I'm not in driver's training. I took driver's ed when I was 15, but just never got my license.
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Just imagine that your Driving Instructor is naked
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Getting my license is one of my goals for summer, as it was in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. What's changed is bus fares have gone up and I've decided cars can actually be pretty cool.
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I failed my test only once back when I was 16. At the center I went to, the wait was ENORMOUS, I was nervous as hell, and the instructor was a complete bitch. But here's the messed up part: While I'm taking the test, some schmuck comes in off the street into the test course to make a u-turn. The bitch gets out of my car and BLASTS THIS GUY, telling him to get the fuck off the course, gets back in the car, and tells me I failed.
So instead of going back there, my dad took me out to another driver's center in "east bumblefuck, Georgia" where there was literally no wait and the instructors were all quite friendly. I was doing great until I screwed up on parallel parking, but then the lady got out of the car, put the cone back up, said "I didn't see anything, did you?" and passed me! :)
So if you can go out to a driver's center in a smaller town or out in the sticks, it's worth it. I know some other people that did the exact same thing and they passed too, although this was over nine years ago, so I don't know if things have changed.
For yuks, here's a long story I posted in another forum about the driving test stuff I went through here in Japan:
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I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You might be wondering, "what did I pass?" The Japanese driver's test. It took me three hours of practice at the driving school and four tries to do it, but I finally got my license today! The entire process, from the initial paperwork to today took about FOUR MONTHS.
Let me break it down how much it cost based on each time I went. I'll use dollars.
June:
-Got my American license translated. About $30 or so. Made a reservation at the driving center.
July:
-Went to the driving center and filled out paperwork. Can't remember how much it cost, but likely around $30 or so. Then I had to make ANOTHER reservation to take the actual test.
August:
-8/19: International driver's license expires.
September:
9/1- Just got back from the States the previous day. Was driving on the opposite side of the road for a week straight. Now I have to readjust for a TEST?! Of course I failed, but even then it was for a dumbass reason. I went too far over the white line at the stop sign. Cost me about $40 I think, maybe more. Made a reservation at the driving school, which happens to be right next to the center.
Later that week: Did one hour of lessons at the school. Cost about $45. The instructor says I need more practice and to come back.
The next week: Did two hours of lessons the following monday. My girlfriend couldn't take me there, so I had to pay for a cab. Lessons cost $90, the cabfare about $40.
Later that week: Did the test again, failed for the dumbest possible mistake: I turned into the wrong lane. Another JET there passes on his first attempt. I am weeping inside. Costs me $30.
9/22: My girlfriend can't take me today, so I have to go alone. This time I manage to complete the entire course. I feel good about it. But guess what? FAIL FAIL FAIL. Apparently some of the driving manuevers I was told to do at the school WEREN'T FUCKING NEEDED. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Costs $40 for the cab and $30 for the test fees. The next available time open is for today, 10/2. I get to have a week without having to stress over this shit.
October:
10/2: This time I feel more prepared, more confident. I don't know if I'm going to pass, but I know how I'm going to try it this time. Test costs $30. Let me break down how this test went; here are some of the procedures. You see, in Japan, the driving test isn't so much about ability so much as it is about appearance and memorizing little procedures and things to do on the test that nobody ever does on the road.
To start, the car is parked at a curb in front of a numbered pole. I walk up to the car, and the instructor gets in and tells me "Let's go." BUT WAIT. Just getting in is BAD. First, I say to him "Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu" and bow. Then you want to walk around the vehicle, looking UNDER IT to check for any objects or small animals. Then on the driver's side, you want to look both ways before opening the door, in case of incoming cars. I open the door, get in, and close it. I look at the instructor and say "Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu" AGAIN and bow. Then I adjust the seat forward, put on my seatbelt, and adjust the mirror.
Now it's time for the practice "lap," which is more like a tiny loop near the start. I put my foot on the break, start the engine, SIGNAL RIGHT, shift into drive, then put down the e-brake. Still can't go yet, though. First you want to do a 360 turn with your head, looking fucking EVERYWHERE. Then you can go. Just make sure to check over your left shoulder for bikes, or you fail. I do the loop and go back, putting it park. The guy shows me a map of the course, that I have to have memorized. (Did I forget to mention that the course must be memorized at the center immediately before the test [get there early!] and that it changes every week?) Luckily, this week's map is actually a bit easier than the last time I took the test; there's a whole section they basically left out. Here I go.
Everything seems to be going fine; I'm making turns beautifully: everytime you turn right, you look right, then left. Every time you turn left, you look right, left, then over your left shoulder to check for BIKES.
Anytime I need to change lanes, I signal, count "ichi...ni...san," look over my shoulder, and move over. The guy isn't touching his clipboard, which is either a really good sign or a really, really, REALLY BAD SIGN. :lol
Now, in Japan, even on two lane roads, you're supposed to shift over to the right of the street before you turn right. I have fucking NEVER seen anyone do this for the past year I've been driving here, but you have to do it on the test. You also want to stay towards the left of the road, closer to the curb. Don't drive in the middle of the lane or to the right. That will fail you.
I go through both "obstacle course curves" (s-shaped and a double L shaped curves) with no problem, but I notice the guy writing something now. I think I've just failed for some reason, but I keep it up since he still hasn't said anything.
Next I get to the same spot that had a hand in flunking me the past three times. It's where the stopsign and the four lane road (that looks like two lanes, hence why I failed like an idiot the second time) are. Right after you turn here, you have to accelerate to 50km. (Last time, I screwed up and didn't get to go to 50km because the guy told me to move over into the leftmost lane first, and unfortunately for me, another guy doing the test was right there, and of course it doesn't matter to the instructor.) So I go to 50km; it's raining a bit by now, and I put on the wipers. I see the guy write something. Uh-oh. Get to the curve and slow down, going slowly through the blinking yellow signal. Again he's writing something. Signal left, turn off the course into the starting pit, carefully driving about 30m away from the curb. He tells me to stop at sign #2, then quickly says "sign #1." Now, I noticed before that people failing seem to stop at #2 and 3, so maybe I somehow passed, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I signal AGAIN and stop, then put it in park. He tells me to wait inside, but I make sure to check under the car again since the test actually isn't over. I check again, bow to the instructor, thanking him, and then go wait inside. I tell my girlfriend I've failed; I don't know why, but I get the feeling I failed again. This time I don't feel so let down.
The wait for the instructor's return feels like HOURS. There's a few more gaijin there that have to take the test too. They're from Brazil, so I have no idea what they're all talking about. The instructor finally comes in and tells ONE of the Brazillians he passed, apparently perfectly. Doesn't say a word to anyone else. More waiting.
Finally the guy at the foreigner's window calls me over. "O.K." he says. :o :o :o :o Wait. Wait. WAIT. "O.K.!?! I passed?!?!" Shocked "Hai, "O.K." he repeats. HOLY CRAP!!! I can't believe it! And on top of that, several other people there passed too! They seemed to be really generous today, as every other time I went, either one person passed or EVERYONE failed.
I have to pay another $25 for some fees. Apparently I also donated $10 to the workers who wave little kids across the street. Oh well, they gave me a little wallet for that. Whatever.
Then more waiting (about an hour), and I FINALLY HAVE MY LICENSE!!! I CAN DRIVE AGAIN!!!
So if I did the math correctly, it cost me over $400 (somewhere between 40,000-50,000 yen) to get my American license converted into a Japanese driver's license. I got lucky that they let me retake the test so quickly, too. It can sometimes be a month wait or longer inbetween failed tests. Oh, and mind you all of this is for foreigners with a valid driver's license from their own country. Of course most Europeans, Australians, and Canadians don't have to bother with any of this. >:(
I've read stories of some foreigners having to take this test as much as EIGHT times before passing, too. :o
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Wow lyte edge, I know a guy who failed the written test 5 times (somehow) but I'm surprised they care to test people that much on the driving in Japan.
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WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT
Are you talking about the written test for foreigners converting their license in Japan?! That was BEYOND EASY, even with the horrible English they gave you to go with it. I've never heard of anybody failing that part of the test before. :o
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Good luck cloudwalking, just keep practicing and try not to be nervous (maybe down a bit of Nyquil before the test) :P
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WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT
Are you talking about the written test for foreigners converting their license in Japan?! That was BEYOND EASY, even with the horrible English they gave you to go with it. I've never heard of anybody failing that part of the test before. :o
My friend failed the written test 5 times in a language he was completely fluent in.
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I failed my driving test once - I was pulling out of the DMV and went over a curb, turned back into the DMV, and was failed. Like, three minute driving test.
The second time, I had the same instructor, and passed with the exception of my forgeting that I can turn right at a red light if it's clear.
Just breathe...and practice. Hope you did well if you didn't take the test already! :P
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And if rodi can pass - anyone can! She's short, female and Asian!
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And if Rodi can pass - anyone can! She's short, female and Asian!
Excuse me, I don't drive like the maniac you call your girlfriend!
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Excuse me, I don't drive like the maniac you call your girlfriend!
I'm not going to comment on this, for obvious reasons.
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Well, I failed again. :dur I knocked over a flag probably 45 seconds into the test when backing in. Yet, the asshole instructor made me go through the entire rest of the test even after immediately telling me that I already failed. I wanted to ask her if she really enjoyed wasting peoples' time that much.
At least the time I ran the stop sign the guy had the decency to just let me quit right then and there!
Anyway, I'm a little pissed, but not too much. I don't NEED my lisence, it just would be kind of handy to have in certain situations.
I probably won't try again, since the wait for an appointment around here is 2 months or more, and I'm moving to the city come December and won't need a car at all anyway.
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A flag? WTF kind of hardcore drivers test is this? Cloud, take my advice, go to a small town and find their DMV and take their test. Jesus christ it sounds like they test you to be a cop.
And dont feel too bad, if you end up going to Japan you wont need to drive lol.
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You ran a stop sign during a driving test..?
You'll do better next time; sounds like you have an asshole instructor to me. One flag should not have caused you to fail, especially less than a minute in. Running the stop sign seems like it would be a far bigger issue.
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(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/9682/colbertcalleditto4.gif)
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A flag? WTF kind of hardcore drivers test is this? Cloud, take my advice, go to a small town and find their DMV and take their test. Jesus christ it sounds like they test you to be a cop.
And dont feel too bad, if you end up going to Japan you wont need to drive lol.
Yeah they've had flags at each test I've taken. IMO, it's harder with flags because when you're actually backing into a spot / parallel parking, you're doing it beside CARS not flags. So, like, my rules of thumb like "line up my window withe theirs when parallel parking" and "visually cut off half of the car with the back window when backing in" were completely useless to me. It's like you have to be a mathematician because it's sure hard to do it by sight, especially when you're as short as me :-[
This one wasn't as bad as the one I had to take in Anoka, though, fuck you had to be Vin Diesel to pass that one.
I'd be willing to drive three hours north up to some hick Canadian border town to take my test if it ensured I would pass it!
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Im telling ya, where the FUCK do they use flags n shit for these tests? I swear you gotta test in small towns.
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MAF's right; big city DMVs are fuckfaces. Just look up a outlier suburban one online and schedule an appointment there.
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yeah they dont care where youre from.