# Learning how to drive! >eek!<



## Aikikitty (May 28, 2002)

Greetings!

   Okay, I'm 20 years old and I'm just now learning how to drive!  It's been a rather interesting and unnerving experience so far and I've only driven out in traffic once!  When I was with my instructor, I found it ironic that so far my driving is like my Aikido; I tend to stop abruptly or go the wrong way!!!!!   One completely stupid thing I must have done at least 3 times was when I was supposed to glance behind me for cars, I'd look over the _wrong_  shoulder!!!!  A car will be coming up on my left and I'd look over the right!  AAAAAHHH!!!!  I'm trying to learn how to drive defensively but so far......:erg: !

   The point of this is that I'm wondering if anyone has any humorous stories about when they learned how to drive or any helpful tips that they'd like to share. 

    Thanks!

     Robyn   :boing1:


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## karatekid1975 (May 28, 2002)

Hey, don't feel bad. I didn't start driving till I was 23 (legally heheheheheh). And I still can't parrell (sp?) park!!!! eeekkkkk.

My funny story is: I got my lisence by luck. I actually took the test 3 times. Each time I was better, except for the damn parking aaarrrrgggg. But when I went the last time, I was waiting in line to take the test, and this girl was arguing with the "tester" about why she failed or something. By the time he tested me, he didn't give a flying f**k about my parking and passed me hehehehehe. I know I did everything else good, because I've been driving for so long, but he didn't even look at the way I parked, and I know I was sooooooo far from the curb


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## Aikikitty (May 28, 2002)

Thanks!  

   That's nice to hear about someone not driving until they were actually older than me!  I get so tired when people say, "You don't know how to drive????!!!???" and they look at me like I'm stupid or something!  I don't get that as often as I could though because I look like I'm 16.    My driving instructor asked when I was going to turn 17 and she was shocked when I told her that I turned 17 4 years ago! :lol: 

   Wow!  What luck on getting your liscense!  I want to be a good/safe driver of course but I really hope I get it under 5 tries! 

    Robyn :angel:


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## Yari (May 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by The Opal Dragon _
> 
> *Greetings!
> 
> ...




I dont' think I'd like to be your uke, or come to think of it tori....

 

/Yari


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## DJDragon (May 29, 2002)

I am yet to drive and I've had my learners for over 2 months.  Auto seems easier.  Manual dont look too hard, I'm just worried bout jammin gears.  And the bad thing is we have a manual.


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## Turner (May 29, 2002)

I'm currently 23, getting ready to turn 24... still don't drive. I've passed Drivers Ed. I've had a learner's Permit... but never tested. I'm a decent driver, but I'm just a little too paranoid to feel comfortable driving. I've gotta look at things and that isn't good when things are stopping and going all the time. I'll get one eventually... Or maybe I'll just get a moped and be splattered all over the place by the moronic drivers that are here in C-ville, VA (where a red light just means to go faster...)


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## karatekid1975 (May 29, 2002)

Turner.

Ya think VA drivers are bad? Come to NY and find out what "bad' drivers are LOL. I'm from NJ, and most drivers where I lived were pretty much ok (except a few annoying ones that can't read the speed limit sign and drive too slow). When I moved here, OH LORD. Where did these people learn to drive! They cut you off, can't keep the car between the lines, can't read speed limit signs, ect. The funny thing is, NY has a state wide speed limit. It's 55 EVERYWHERE, unless otherwise posted. NO ONE goes 55.  They either tail-gate you wanting to speed, or go way too slow. And I don't even live in the city! Sheesh.


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## Aikikitty (May 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Yari _
> 
> *
> 
> ...



Trust me.  Many people don't want to be my uke!  I'm clumsy. 

Robyn


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## Turner (May 29, 2002)

NY is where I took Drivers Ed. Yeah, I'd have to say that they definately don't know how to drive. You look at the cars think that the economy is utterly terrible because a majority of them are banged up.... but then you realize that it would be pointless to get your car fixed... in a few days you'll get it all dented up again.


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## GouRonin (May 29, 2002)

I'll be driving to Schenectety(sp) New York for the seminar Big Guy is having June 8th. I hate driving in NY state.


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## Seig (May 30, 2002)

NY is where the crazies warm up for the Grand Prix of Road Stupidity, Florida!


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## Aikikitty (May 30, 2002)

Okay, now I know to never drive in or through Virginia, New York, and Florida.  Louisiana has some pretty crazy drivers too.  How but some more funny stories?   


Robyn :uhyeah:


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## karatekid1975 (May 30, 2002)

LOL. These NY drivers are going to scare me back to NJ LOL Where the roads are a lot safer.

Plus the cops up here are lazy. They don't stop you for nuthin, unless, of course, you are speeding (which is big $$$ for the county).


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## Nightingale (Jun 8, 2002)

I got pulled over by a cop on my first driving lesson...

I was turning out of a parking lot, and my instructor reminded me "turn signal"...  so I'm thinking 'turn signal'...'turn signal'....then  I saw the little stick on the edge of the steering column...slammed my hand down on it, heard the little clickie noise, and turned....right.  with the left blinker on.

the cop was right behind me and was laughing as he pulled me over.  didn't get a ticket...sadistic guy just wanted to scare me...


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## Aikikitty (Jun 8, 2002)

My goodness!  I bet that freaked you out!  It would me!  At least the cop was just having his fun instead of being serious.  Thanks for the story.  

Robyn :asian:


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## Nightingale (Jun 8, 2002)

yeah...he gave me homework...

"right turn signal....left turn signal..." with appropriate hand motions.


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## Dronak (Jun 12, 2002)

I got my license when I was about 17 I think, I forget exactly.  I didn't really have any problems with the exam, but none of it was real road driving.  The whole thing was done on a course out behind the station.  I only got one real comment -- not to palm the wheel when going in reverse.  Parallel parking is a pain and probably always will be.  Avoid parking on the street in big cities and you don't really have to worry about it.    I actually did that part of the test twice by my own choice.  The first time I was a bit far from the curb and I said I could get closer than that, so the examiner said to go ahead and try again.  It was better the second time.  

On the bad driving topic, I'm really getting to dislike Maryland drivers.  I knew they were kind of bad before, but now that I have a car and am driving myself, I see how bad it really is.  I wonder where some people get their licenses from.  People speed like nuts all over the place.  I usually try to keep it at around the speed limit, mnaybe like 5 mph over.  The speed limit is just that, a *limit* not a suggestion as some people seem to think.  I almost got hit once because someone was zooming through a residential area way faster than he should have been.  I've been passed illegally a number of times, once by some idiot who pulled into the oncoming lane of traffic to get around me.  That's what we call an accident looking for a place to happen.  Oh, and people are trigger happy on the horn, too.  I pulled out of a parking lot in the proper direction, there are arrows on the lanes, and someone coming in the wrong direction stops to wait for me to straighten out and beeps at me despite being like 10 feet away.  Roll down the windows and I could talk to him.  Someone coming down a main road beeped at me as I pulled up to a stop sign as if I was going to pull right out onto the main road without stopping.  As if I can't see his car in front of me, right.  Someone beeped at me because I didn't pull out onto the main road fast enough another time.  Well, sorry for being cautious and making sure the road is really clear.  Good lord, there's no pleasing people around here.  Oh, and don't forget turning or changing lanes without signaling.  We're not telepathic people, signals were made for a reason.  Man, it's awful.  And all this has happened in a matter of like 5 months.  Things were never this bad back home in NJ.  People think NJ drivers are bad.  Nope.  Speeding may be popular, but that's the major vice.  People there are pretty good on almost everything else, but you always have exceptions.  In MD is seems like there's more bad drivers than good.  You want another place to avoid driving if possible, I'd put Maryland on the list.  BTW, it's not just me.  A number of my fellow grad students have said the same thing about how bad Maryland drivers are.  I think even one or two people from the state admitted peole here drive poorly.  So I'm not alone in this opinion.


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## Aikikitty (Jun 12, 2002)

Thank you, Dronak, very much for writing and the advice.  I'm sorry that even perfectly nice people can turn into such jerks on the road!   

Robyn :asian:


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## Cthulhu (Jun 12, 2002)

Way back when I was getting my license, the test was done in the parking lot of the shopping plaza that held the DMV office.  I had to parallel park, but the markers (they didn't use real cars) were very far apart and I had a tiny little Mazda.  Since I had been practicing on a very cramped street, I had no problem.

What gets me is that barely a month after I got my license, Florida eliminated the parallel parking requirement.

As for bad drivers, where ever you live, that's where you think the worst drivers are.

Cthulhu


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## Rich Parsons (Jun 12, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Cthulhu _
> 
> *Way back when . . .
> 
> ...



Cthulhu, (* Oh evil One sorry to much RPG *)  

I agree with the statment the everyone assumes the 
locals are the worst drivers. Yet in Detroit,
we coined the term Car-jacking. Nothing to be
really proud of, yet it does make sense since
at one time it was the central point of the
automotive industry.

Have a nice day and stay out of my Dreams :rofl:

Rich


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## SolidTiger (Jul 9, 2002)

The worst drivers are in California, but when you get use to
it it's not so bad. almost like riding a bike

Thank you

SolidTiger


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## Nightingale (Jul 9, 2002)

hehe... my best friend was taking her drive test in a Ford Excursion.  she'd been practicing with her mom's little Saturn...but it had transmission issues the day of her test, and her father's (a lawyer) car was a stick shift, which she didn't know how to drive yet.

She got to the parking section...not parallel parking, just normal parking, where they have cones set up a certain distance apart and you have to park in a normal parking lot situation.  Well, after knocking over the cones, my friend got out a tape measure.  She's got one on her keychain...don't ask why. please.  She'd already gotten an automatic fail for hitting the cones, so she had nothing to lose.  She measured the distance between the two cones.  Then she measured the width of her vehicle... yep, you guessed it... she couldn't have parked that car in the space if she'd been the best driver on earth.  The car was four inches bigger than the alloted space.   She pointed this out.  Not knowing what do do, the instructor simply passed her.

This situation is one of several cases and one of the legal reasons why California doesn't test parking on a drive test anymore.  Someone finally sued the dang DMV and got it removed.


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