Any special license road test stories? (insurance, driving record, vehicle, lane)

[rlrl]

I have a story that illustrates how a bit of common sense alleviated pain and brought some pleasure.

I failed my road tests twice in 1978 before finally passing it and receiving the license in the mail on what better day but 12/31 of that year

the day before 7/4 I took the test by the town court civic center area. Wrong move. everyone was in a rush to get out of town for the 7/4 weekend. I knew i didn't pass any way and this was supported by at least 3 things i did wrong with angle parking and incorrect signaling and traffic moves when i got the failure notice in the mail

took the test in a quieter town on halloween day. wrong move. trick or treaters walking and parents driving everywhere. turned into the path of an oncoming car way too late. failed and i had to take the written test over before even scheduling another road test

i determined that if i was ever to pass this road test i basically had to take the test in an ideal environment basically devoid of other moving vehicles

i decided it would be in the same small town but on the morning of the day after christmas when i knew no one would be out. same irish inspector. i was totally correct. no traffic, passed it. went to times square to watch the ball drop that night!!

the next day i learned my mom secretly was glad i kept failing the tests. she was annoyed it would cost her an extra $700 on her insurance!!

but those failures paid off because in my 30 years of driving i never had an accident and have only had minor convictions (minor speeding/seatbelt)

[Ohiogirl81]

When I took my test, back in the dawn of time, it was on a little mile-long off-road route with traffic signs, lane dividers, assorted hazards and some way cool serpentine curves.

First off, I went off the road at the first stop sign, which reputedly meant you would fail no matter what. And then when I pulled out of the three-point turn, the front wheel hit the lane divider. The cop asked me why I didn't back up, and I said I didn't need to. He said "What if that would have been the edge of a cliff?" I said "I would have backed up."

Then I'm going through the S curves, and the cop says I'm going too slow. I floored it, and stayed within the lines (all that practice with coloring books finally paid off). My dad was watching nearby, and he told me the cop blanched. Heh.

I passed the test. I'm guessing the cop didn't want to get in the car with me again.

[rlrl]

that's great that you passed, since the cop had made several comments. Despite my great driving record, I still pay rates of someone with a bad driving record. After all, I'm in NY City!!!

[dkf747]

I'm disabled. I drove for 18 years or so before becoming disabled. I spent a few years without driving. To get my license back I spent over a year and a half training and re learning for a driving therapist. On the day of my test, all I had to do was make a 6 point turn to pass it. I could have passed that test without all of the training. I've been a good driver since, with no tickets or accidents.

[Tennesseestorm]

RLRL - interesting this thread came up.

When I turned 16 years old and wanted to get my driver license right away. I already had my learners permit, so all I needed was a road test and I would have my license.

March 5, 1992 I turned 16 years old. I wanted my license that day! My parents had a 1976 Lincoln Town Car, 1978 Lincoln Town Car and a 1985 Buick Regal. The Lincolns were tanks that I learned to drive in and while I could drive them well, I did not want to take them on the driving test because of parking. I knew I would probably rip the fenders off of something. . The Regal was gone, my dad had drove it to work so....

My aunt had an almost brand new 1991 Honda Accord that was a very easy car to drive. She and my mother went with me and I used her car for the driving test. It was very hot that day and we had the A/C on. When I stopped the car, the A/C was on low. By the time we got back in the car, it had got hot because outside it was blazing hot for March. Well the driving instructor and I got into the car and drove away. I could not focus on anything but driving and could not even make myself turn on the A/C higher! By the time we got back to the station, we both were pouring sweat from our faces. I thought she would fail me just for that, but she didnt! I passed with flying colors!

[Bigg Mann]

I got mine in small town (500 pop.) in Nebraska in 1975 and instructor told me to drive down block turn left, continue then left and back to him. He did not go with me and I passed easily. I was a commercial truck driver for 20 yrs. and have logged over a million miles with 2 speeding and 1 minor accident in personal vehicles.

[bmwguydc]

I passed my driver's test easily, the first time. I had to pass a pre-test for my father, however, no joke, and he could be a stickler for obscure rules and regulations. I did, however, pass his more rigorous and obscure test handily and graduated from a learning mobile to my own car, something that was a point of dissent among the siblings who felt it was because I was the baby. Ha!

Now, for an interesting story, I have a sibling whose name and gender is withheld to protect the guilty who had to take the test three times before passing. The first time, this sibling had an inspector who would put Patty & Selma Bouvier (from The Simpsons) to shame. Every little thing was nit-picked and the test seemed to go on for quite a long time, at least 45 minutes of waiting at the DMV office with my father, though it could have been longer. Well, needless to say that on the first time out, the nerves must have been too much, since she was able to find four points of failure, including parallel parking, allegedly making a rolling stop or going through a stop sign out-of-turn (possibly when the oncoming vehicle was in the intersection going straight, but I am not 100% sure), parking too close to a fire hydrant, and not paying attention or some vague catchall. This woman was very intimidating to a sixteen-year-old in her polyester smock with official clipboard and red pen.

The second time, it was a more lenient inspector, and all was going well until a tree or bush was cut down in the road by a landscaping crew, and rather than stopping and determining a course of action, said sibling floored it, passed on the wrong side of the road, and nearly gave the inspector a heart attack, to beat an oncoming vehicle through the affected area. When they got back to the DMV office, the inspector was literally frazzled and said that she had no choice but to fail them for that incident, though she didn't notice anything to amiss with the rest of their driving. LOL

The third time, at the same location, said sibling was supposed to have the original, more strict inspector, but she was double-booked. As the more lenient inspector came to the door, she looked pale upon seeing my sibling, but marched onward in service to the state. LOL She basically had them drive around the corner, parallel park where there were no cars or curbs present, and do the absolute minimum to pass. She seemed so relieved when she gave a passing grade, but suggested to my father that said sibling might benefit from some more on-the-road training with parents present, but that they had mastered the minimum skills required, with particular emphasis on minimum. At least she didn't have a white-knuckled thrill ride, so I guess she figured that this was as good as it was going to get.

I found the whole situation hilarious, as the younger child, especially since I passed with the more rigorous inspector on the first try when it was my turn. She took me on a long route as well, covering a lot of territory, but she didn't get me on anything. I even kept my hands gripped to the recommended positions in the book, the old 9-and-3, and walked around the vehicle before moving it from the parking space, just to be sure that no debris or pile of leaves would be in the way as one could encounter in the driver's education films. Ha! ha!

[rlrl]

that is indeed a funny story. i'll bet parents secretly like thet the kids fail the tests

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by Bigg Mann

I got mine in small town (500 pop.) in Nebraska in 1975 and instructor told me to drive down block turn left, continue then left and back to him. He did not go with me and I passed easily. I was a commercial truck driver for 20 yrs. and have logged over a million miles with 2 speeding and 1 minor accident in personal vehicles.

OK, Big Mann, be honest; have you ever hooked your air lines up backwards or forgotten to unhook 'em after dropping your trailer? I've hooked my lines up backwards twice in twelve years. I've driven off without unhooking the air lines a couple of times, including yesterday... Dropping a trailer at my D.C., I was just finishing dollying down when an outside carrier's driver asked me where he checks in. I walked to the front of the truck and pointed to the driver's entrance several spots down. I then jumped in my truck and drove off (we have air fifth wheel releases) Fortunately, I didn't cause any damage but the WHACK, WHACK, WHACK! on the back of the cab sure gets your attention!!!

[Bigg Mann]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

OK, Big Mann, be honest; have you ever hooked your air lines up backwards or forgotten to unhook 'em after dropping your trailer? I've hooked my lines up backwards twice in twelve years. I've driven off without unhooking the air lines a couple of times, including yesterday... Dropping a trailer at my D.C., I was just finishing dollying down when an outside carrier's driver asked me where he checks in. I walked to the front of the truck and pointed to the driver's entrance several spots down. I then jumped in my truck and drove off (we have air fifth wheel releases) Fortunately, I didn't cause any damage but the WHACK, WHACK, WHACK! on the back of the cab sure gets your attention!!!

Yes, when I was a yard jockey for Coca-Cola Foods in Florida I was unloading a tanker full of concentrated orange juice and whe you back up to curve you have to raise 5th wheel so tanker goes up in air and unloads out hose to pump and all juice comes out.

I got side tracked and thought I was dropping trailer and forgot to roll down dollies and pulled out and full tanker dropped to ground. Luckily it did not tip and lip of 5th wheel was barely under it and I gently lifted it enough to put a couple of big rocks under dolly and slip back underneath it. I never told anybody about it.

Also got myself jackknifed in a construction field unloading pipe and got stuck in deep sand and had to have a D-9 Cat lift flatbed up and swing around. I don't really call these driving accidents but part of the learning process of driving the big rigs.

I've had a lot of fun over the years driving but am now disabled and retired from trucking and ready to start a new chapter in my life.