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Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Lodi, Here I Come

I need help with my driver's test, please!

If you don't have a MeFi account, I'll gratefully take any advice in the form of a comment here.

(While we're on the MetaFilter topic, if anyone wants to add me as a contact, here's my profile page.)

Update: Thanks muchly, Max!

Posted at 09:48 AM

Comments

001. megan

my massachusetts drivers test was ridiculously easy - i had to drive around a rotary, pull into a parking spot (not even parallel park), and cross an intersection. i think this is mainly because i was a 23-year-old girl and not a 16-year-old hormonal cocky-ass boy, so he figured i knew what i was doing. and yet, i still screwed up. when the instructor said "take a left" (into the dmv parking lot), i figured the test couldn't be over already (and it always takes me a second to figure out my right from my left), so i took a right up a hill into a restaurant parking lot. he looked at me as though i was insane. and i still got my license.

the moral of the story? if you are a girl and well past sixteen when you go in and have a reasonable instructor and are serious and deferential to said instructor, then you will be totally fine. you've already got two out of four, so it's up to you whether it's worth pulling out the short skirt and ponytail wig.

Posted at 10:56AM on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

002. Rachel

My aunt pulled out of the parking lot to start her test and promptly hit a police car. Don't do this; they tend to frown on it.

My test was incredibly easy; the tester said that it was a hot day & he figured my parents knew whether I could drive or not, so the whole thing was really a formality. I just drove around the block (in an area where the speed limit was 10 mph) and that was it.

Parallel parking truly gets easier the more you do it; my triumph was doing it one-handed, while holding an ice cream cone.

Posted at 02:56PM on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

003. Max

A couple of the MetaFilter people mentioned this, but I just wanted to reiterate that you should practice going in reverse. I lost most of my points (though I still passed, thank God) because I looked over the wrong shoulder (then quickly corrected, but not quickly enough) and I was too "weavy" as I backed up.

Posted at 07:31PM on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

004. zoe

I got so preoccupied beforehand about parallel parking and 3 pt turns that thoese were things I did okay on!

I did some bad right turns (which are the easy ones!) one because the instructor yelled "turn right" right as we were passing the road I was supposed to turn into. And while I did proper stops at stop signs, I didn't at intersections that had no signs.

Yeah, don't back up without looking (haha I can never remember which shoulder)

Maybe the next test I will get the nice old man tester, I can wear a tank top. I hope I don't get the mean ladies.

Posted at 07:46PM on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

005. Damo

Wait, there's a correct shoulder to look over when going in reverse? Which one? I only use one.

I have no memory of my driver test, except that I think it took place in an '85 Camaro. I thought that was odd, but then most things I've done in Camaros have been odd.

Posted at 11:35PM on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

006. Keith

I feel your pain.

I just learned how to drive last year, and took my "behind the wheel" test in January '04. (And I just turned 29.)

Basically, I found out what they test you on from a friend who had recently taken the test. Turns out, they didn't test him on freeway driving or parallel parking (or 3 point turns). This does not mean they won't test *you* on these skills.

However, they most likely *will* make you park alongside a curb, behind a car, and then they will have you back up in a straight line. Always look behind your right shoulder, with your right arm behind the passenger seat. At least that's how I've always been taught.

The main things I was docked points for were:

1. Not checking traffic enough. I should have kept my eyes moving and always checking mirrors.
2. Not slowing down before a stop sign/red light soon enough. I always *made* the stop, but you really should start braking quite far in advance.

What they really like (at least here in L.A., and I would assume *love* in crowded New Jersey) ... that you check for pedestrians ... a lot. Especially when making a left hand turn at a light. The tester woman really took notice and praised me for making sure there weren't people in the crosswalk.

More than likely, the driving course will consist of a pre determined route. A route that will include a number of goals that you must complete. On my route, we left the DMV, took a right, and then parked the car. Then backed up. Then we proceeded to a few intersections that involved either 4-way or 2-way stops. Then we had some with lights. Then we went through a curvy housing area with various signs that I had to pay attention to. (I was lucky enough to score the day when they were doing *both* construction *and* garbage pickup in the area. Go me. lol.)

Then we went through a shopping district which had a few crosswalks in it *without* lights attached to them. Again, that was a test on whether or not we are paying attention to folks walking across the street, etc. I also had to change lanes, both to the left and to the right. Piece of cake, really. Make sure you are always checking your mirrors and checking your blind spots when doing these maneuvers.

Finally, we pulled back in to the DMV parking lot and she had me park in a space. (Also, before we left the DMV, she had me drive around the parking lot, to test me on my parking lot driving skills.)

Remember to schedule your "behind the wheel" appointment for a time when you know there won't be a lot of traffic in the neighborhood of the DMV. Here, I opted for a 10 AM appointment, knowing that by the time I actually got behind the wheel, I'd be on the road before gnarly noon-time lunch-hour traffic.

Also, if you have a choice of DMVs to pick from in your city, go for the one that you think has the easiest-to-drive-around neighborhood near it. Don't just go for the one nearest you automatically -- especially if it's in the middle of downtown, with zillions of one-way streets, tons of trucks on the road, lots of highway onramps, etc. You get the idea...

Good luck!