Story time:
The first time I took my driving test, the evaluator said ‘pull out of your parking space’, which I did very precisely, stopping at the street where the test started.
Then he said ‘turn right at this street’, so I did – and made the semi-truck coming down that road lay on his horn a bounce a bit to avoid hitting me. I failed before we even started.
I was so focussed on his instructions that I lost all situational awareness.
I took more classes, then spent a few years as a delivery driver, so I actually learnt to be a very good driver. But my first test was abysmal.
I think it’s hilarious that so many seem to fail the test now days. Does high school not require driver’s ed class anymore?
When I was a teen in the 80s, everyone got their licence at 16, some got a learner’s permit before that. Even kids whose parent’s didn’t allow them to drive still got it. Failing was unthinkable! You friends would have never let you live it down. Also, it wasn’t easy to retest, had to wait a couple of weeks. I think I knew one person that had to take it again.
Then ya got my young friend I taught to drive getting his license at 21. He failed twice in a row and Florida just lets you try again the next day. You don’t even have to leave the parking lot! One failed test was for not using turns signals because he thought they weren’t required in a parking lot. 🙄 And that’s after I lectured him to never miss on that.
The driving test has gotten significantly more difficult in many places in the U.S. because of teen deaths in auto accidents. My kids had a lot more required training than I ever did.
However, it depends on what country you are in. When I got my license in the U.K. close to 30 years ago, I had been driving in the U.S. for 6 years and driven close to 100K miles. I had been told it was more difficult so I signed up for some lessons. I took me 10 lessons before the instructor said I should attempt it. I still failed the first attempt but managed to pass on the second (fucking backing around a corner bullshit).
What was funny was I was legally allowed to drive with my U.S. license while I was working on passing my U.K. one. I drove myself to the test and back, including after I failed the test.
I was a teen in the 90s and high school did not require drivers ed. It was required if you wanted to get a license but it was summer school, and not everyone got their license. For reference, I grew up in a major metropolitan area.
I think we just hear about it more now, because people post stories they only told to a few people in the 80s.
For instance, I turn 55 this month and I failed horribly at first, but you’ve never heard of me.