Watch out people, I've passed my driving test!   Only made 3 minor faults...

BTW, I passed a couple of months ago.

While we're all here...how do people learn to drive in America?  Here we just go out on the roads from our first lesson with an instructors and can go out with parents if we're insured on the car...but I've never seen a learner car in the US whenever I've been on holiday...which is confusing. ???

Maybe the yanks don't have L plates. What I do know is that it's far harder here than it is over there. But well done for passing. I've still got to get round to booking my theory.

Some of my friends have been learning well over a year and havn't passed. I started learning late April and hope to pass when I get back from holiday in september. Thats if I ever get round to booking it.

I intend to. If i'm lucky I can get my theory before I go off in mid july. Then I can book my test for when I return in late september.

It's about six weeks I think for the actual test. Should be a fair bit less for the theory.

And you did it in an automatic.

I should be fine really. And if I don't pass, then I can always try again.

The system in the US seems simplier than the UK one.  What happens (at least in Oregon) is when you turn 15 you can get a learner's permit.  To do this you must pass a written exam only (rules of the road kind of thing) and have a parent/guardian sign that they take care of you and will instruct you.

Once you have this permit, you can drive with your parents (actually, I think with anyone 21 or older in the car) the idea being that you learn from your parents.  Usually, a parent will take you to a rather remote place and then teahc you the basics, once you master that you work up to harder things.  In the end, you find yourself driving your parents to the grocery store and things like that.

Once you turn 16, you can get your license.  There is no license for automatics or manuals-its the same license.  You take the driving test in your car (I took mine in my '96 Camaro), it does not matter if its an auto or manual.  I basically got my license having never driven a manual transmission vehicle (I have since learned).  There is a written and driving portion of the best and you must pass both to get your license.  Of course, there are some driving regulations for this license (I think its called a "Class C" License).  Mine's regulations say "Class C: Any single vehicle with a GVWR of not more than 26,000 pounds with the proper endorsements.  Any emergency vehicle opperated by a firefighter."

There are no required driving schools or lessions.  Those are avilable and help lower insurance but they are not required (I did a couple to lower the cost of insurance).  Also, if you are under 18 you must have had your learner's permit for at least 6 months (I don't think a permit is required if you are over 18, you can simply take the test).  Also, after a failure there is usually a waiting period before you can retake the test.  For example, the first time you fail its a 1 month wait, the 2nd time is 2 months and it goes on from there (I think that max is either 6 months or 1 year).

Also, some states have developed special laws for younger drivers.  Oregon has a law where for the first year you have your drivers license there is a curfew (I think you can't drive after 11pm or before 6am unless its school/work related).  For the first 6 months of that period you can't have any passengers (except for immediate family) and for the 2nd 6 months you can have a maximum of 3 passengers.  So, you won't have "full driving privalages" unless you have had your license for a year.  But, when you turn 18 the law no longer applies (so if you turn 18 the day after you got your license, this law doesn't apply).

Anyway, that is how you get your license in the US.

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in California you need something like 20 hours of inclass instruction before you can go for your permit test, and then after you get the permit test you need 6 "behind the wheel" hours with a driving instructor before you can drive with anybody else

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there are plenty of them in my area

I'll give a more detailed account of what happens in Britain.

As you're approaching 17, you apply for your provisional licence, which cost about £40, but you're paying for your full licence once you pass at the same time.
Then once you turn 17, you can go on lessons with approved DSA instructors.  I went with a local guy who has a 2.0 litre turbo diesel MG ZR, lol.  The most common ones are big organistions, like the AA or BSM (British School of Motoring).  You take lessons and book a theory test.

The theory test consists of 2 sections and costs £24.  The 1st is multichoice where you mst get 35 out of 40 to pass.  The next is called hazard perception, where you watch videos on the PC screen and click when you see a hazard developing (this is harder than it sounds).  ost people do pass first time, but I know a few people who've failed it, mainly because they thought it would be easy and didn't bother studying.

You take more lessons and then your instructor will tell you when you're ready for a test.  So, you book a test, which costs you about £70.  The tests usually last about 25 minutes and you have to complete 2 of out 4 manouveours during the test.  These inlcude a turn in the road (3-point turn), left reverse round a corner (would be right-reverse in America), reverse into a parking bay and parallel parking.  You can make a maximum of 14 minor faults without failing, but if you get even one serious, dangerous or major you have failed.  The tests are hard in Britain and if you haven't took plenty of lessons with a qualified instructor, who will know what the examiner wants you to drive like, then you will fail.

After that, they take your provisional off you and you get sent a full UK driving licence.  I also went and sat Pass-Plus, a scheme where you do 6 hours more lessons and it gives you a one year's no claim bonus for insurance, which is good.

You can go out with your parents as well, as long as you are insured on the car and the parent has held a full UK driving licence for over 5 years.  It's pretty intensive, but I guess it weeds out the ones who shouldn't be driving cos they will cause accidents.  I've seen people who've had over 50 lessons and they still don't know they have to put the clutch in when they stop or the car will stall!

The average first time  pass rate for UK tests is 44% ....... and thank god it is.

In India you only have to drive the car forwrds for 200m and then reverse back 200m.

The worst country in the world for road related deaths is Iran.. I don't think they need to be invaded by the US just supply the Iranian people with very fast cars and they'll kill themselves off.

The largest speed humps in the world are in the middle east .... Saudi I think ....... this is to stop the locals burning eachother off in their 4x4s. The speed humps are over 3ft tall.

There you go some useless facts about driving.

cheers
eno
Passed 3 driving tests first time and threw one instructor out of the vehicle for being an a*se.

How it goes in Holland (old style)

You have to do a theoretic test (that gives you a certtificate that is valid one year). Usually the easiest step in the process. involves 60 multiple choice questions on crummy televisions in an exam room

Then you have to find a driving school, all of which are either simply bad or try to keep their rating up by letting people do twice the number of lessons needed.
Lessons involve terrorizing residential areas, and trying not to get a speeding ticket on the other roads when you are not stuck in a traffic jam or behind an argicultural vehicle
eventually you will have to go up for the test... with an examinator from the most hated semi-government organisation after the tax department, the CBR.

There are the following license groups
A: motorbikes. first year limited to 25KW, later on you can drive anything.
B: Cars with max of 8 passengers and total combination weight (includes luggage cart) of 3500kg as long as ther car is heavier
C: Truck whitout extra cart
D: Bus
E: 'heavy luggage cart' stuff, enables you to go to the maximum allowed combination weight, and luggage carts for C and D license

Car license is either anything or automatic only

Anyway, for all you who care, I've just booked my theory for the 7th of july.

I've just passed my theory.

34 out of 35 on the multiple choice.
56 out of 75 for the hazard perception.

Next stop, the practical!

best of luck

It was seriously easy. I only did one online practice test as revision. They give you about an hour to complete it and I was through in less than half an hour. So I did a few trial questions and a customer satisfaction quiz just to get my moneys worth.

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When I get round to it. September probably.

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I only dropped a mark because I didn't know what do to at a box junction. As for the hazard perception I just clicked when I saw anything that could possibly be taken for some sort of hazard.