Assuming you are the US, driving tests are mostly performative bureaucratic comedy, so states can pretend they are not giving driving licenses like candy.
It's a car based society where people without a car have a lot of troubles getting around and do their daily tasks. Taking someone's license is like ostracizing them from society. To keep the economy going, everybody needs to be able to drive, spend and shop, so it's logical the barrier to entry is kept very low.
So you're saying there are more negative consequences to hating on public transit than no public transit!?
I made a bunch of mistakes on my driving test, but they passed me anyway since my mom made me take my test on my 16th birthday and the instructor felt bad for me. I proceeded to get into 2 car accidents in my first year driving. I got pretty good at it eventually, and haven't had any major issues since then, but I definitely would've benefited from a bit more practice before being given free rein.
I took my first driving test in the dead of winter, the day after a massive snow storm. At one point the tester told me to take a right turn onto a side street, but the street we were on had been plowed while the street I was supposed to turn onto hadn't and the entrance to it had like a 4' high snow bank from the plow across it. I charged into it anyway and I got through the bank but I ended up skidding into the wrong lane until I could correct. The tester deducted 5 points for my turning into the wrong lane, which really pissed me off given the situation. I guess I should have said "fuck no I'm not turning into a fucking snow bank".
This tester was notorious for failing teenagers on their first test no matter what, but this event was all he could deduct for and he had to pass me. Looking back on it, I'm glad such a hard ass tester actually existed, because there's really nothing like that any more. It seems like today's testers just wet their finger and stick it under your nose to make sure you're breathing, and pass you.
I took my motorcycle test about 5 years after i had been driving a car. It was just an obstacle course since i had plenty of driving experience already. I did everything perfectly and come back pleased with my performance.
The tester says i failed because i blew the first stop sign and walked to go inside. I ignored the fist stop sign because it was about 2 feet from where i started. I was in complete disbelief. She got to the door and came back and said kidding but that I did lose points because of it and any other mistakes would have pushed me over.
I failed my first driving test for not having both hands on the wheel the entire time. Other than that, my driving was flawless.
Not that I disagree with your hypothesis, but it certainly isn't true for every exam proctor.
Haha. Always, if there’s someone driving really dumbly I have to take a glance at them when I go by.
Just spend 6 hours driving between Cambria and the High Desert is So Cal today, can confirm.
I used to drive between Philly and DC a lot for work. I just don't think that stretch can be beaten for the combination of sheer incompetence and utter insanity. Some places are more insane (e.g. Houston) and some places are less competent (like Ohio or Arizona), but not both.
Houston is a world of its own, with its like 3 highway systems interwoven with dogshit signage.
I feel like this is a phenomenon that should have a name, but I don't know what it is...
As you get older and more experienced, you get better at driving. The average driver, though, generally does not get better because of turnover due to age on both ends. This means that from your relative perspective people seem to be getting steadily worse at driving.
Of course there is day to day fluctuation, and some factors (e.g. cell phone use) may have large impacts, but I'm convinced that most of what we feel is connected to the former effect.
I feel the distracted driving is a large impact that reverses that effect you describe. Maybe trust is the wrong word, but I trust a teenager texting before an 80 year old. 80 year olds will slow down to 5mph and drift over lines to text. They're fucking horrible at it and they don't see it that way. These days teens have multitasked on their phones for 5-10 years before they were able to drive. Maybe they don't understand the rules of the road as well yet, but they're a lot more present while distracted.
Haha I always do look too. But I don't know why. Like what will I even do with this information?
Feel a real sense of superiority
This reminds me of my local "$CITY's Worst Drivers" Facebook group, where every single post has a bunch of racist comments saying that every bad driver is an immigrant.
As someone who almost gets killed by drivers on a weekly basis (yay commuting by bicycle in North America!) I confirm everyone sucks at driving. All genders, races, ages. It's almost as if cars are an inherently dangerous and shitty means of transportation.
casual sexism
to be clear this was meant to be a joke
That's good.
I personally still don't love these comments even as satire but i admit it's not the same thing.
I used to think i was the cringiest person on reddit. Used to...
Drove into work today behind the worst driver I seen in months. Couldn't stay in the lane and randomly hitting the brakes. Not a drunk, just a boomer with a disabled tag. I assume she was blind.
I always thought that with raising gas prices that the motor heads would not be able to afford to drive up and down the street at night as much, but so far it has not deterred them. I now believe that if they were forced to start using electric cars, they would add external speakers to them to make them sound like mussel cars.
That's a bunch of carp and you know it!
And don't let me conch you making up lies again.
I mean, a typical shitty fast food lunch costs $15 these days, which is about four gallons of gas or 100 miles of driving with a moderate-mileage car. Gas is still pretty cheap relatively speaking.
In the US, I don't think anyone reads their state driver manual. I read it every year because it's the only thing I can be sure of that makes me better than 99% of everyone else.
What new have you learned in this year's manual compared to last year?
Even if I don't learn anything new, it's always good to refresh. It's literally one hour out of my year, so not much of a sink.
I was going to say something smug about living in a walkable city so I don't need to drive, but I still have to deal with idiot drivers being a danger to pedestrians and bikers.
In my city, some people don't even have license plate numbers, let alone, liability insurance.
Say you're from Houston without saying you're from Houston
See my mind went to San Antonio, but I guess this really could describe any city in Texas.
Honestly, looking at the amount of US police videos on YouTube where people are driving without a license, it wouldn’t surprise me that it’s on the rise.
Here in the Netherlands, the cost of getting a license also skyrocketed the past decade. The past few years more people got caught driving without one.
People should be punished severely for that, as well as traffic infractions in general.
It makes sense in NL, they can ride a bike or take public transit, but in America, not driving isnt a realistic option.
Sadly here in the US it isn’t the cost of obtaining a license. Most offenders aren’t allowed one for criminal violations but continue to drive anyways. It’s mostly DUI offenders.
They usually just look old.
I find they usually just look at their phone.
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