Drivers Ed Suck (VERY LONG)

[rageaholic]

Drivers ED is terrible. Once you got your permit and drive for a week on your own, you get it down though. Easiest thing in the world.

I had a similar experience in my test. My teacher was really nice and cool, but the tester was a prick.

He wouldn't shut the hell up for even a second. Talking about how he drove with his cat on his lap through Berlin and stuff. Me and the teacher didn't even say a word besides "aha, yeah... " and an occasional nod.

What the hell was this guy thinking? Never mind the fact I'm super nervous not to fail and trying to concentrate on driving, you have to be an ass about it too? He also made me do totally pointless maneuvers, which a drivers noob did not learn yet. That's also the reason I failed the first time.

Got an awesome tester the second time. Didn't say a word and I even screwed up once but he said it was ok.

And sadly, this doesn't surprise me one bit. I failed my drivers test the first two times. Like I said, this guy was definately calmer my instructor, but still a jerk. The first time was definately deserving, but the second time, I think he was way too picky. Little things added up, and thus he got to fail me again. He then suggested to my dad a "practice test" with some other instructor. The problem, it would cost 90 bucks. Hmm... Could explain his pickiness with my road test.

We ended up going somewhere else and I passed. Go figure.

[protege]

I passed on my second attempt. Why'd I fail? Well, I was driving my father's beat-up Tempo through the serpentine, and the power steering pump started having issues. Most of that went easily, until towards the end. Imagine my surprise when the steering suddenly got a bit heavier, and I clipped one of the cones. Instant failure

At least I got to take the test a month later. I had to wait because it had snowed...and I wasn't about to drive on the sheet of ice that served as the testing area.

[Andara Bledin]

I was in one of the last school-based driver's ed classes in my high school, so I didn't have to pay to take it.

The instructor was super-awesome and really knew his stuff. I got lots of extra credit for having common sense.

He also handed out the passes to get your permit immediately after class if you scored 100%, which several of us did. Everyone else had to wait until the end of the school year, three weeks down the road.

I failed the written test the first time around. One of the questions was written wrong, so the only answer that wasn't correct was the one they wanted. >.< But they let me take it again immediately, and I passed just fine. I had to borrow a friend's car to take the driving test because mine wouldn't pass the safety test (the check engine light wouldn't stay off, although there was nothing wrong with the car). I was sick and looked like crap, and I wish I still had that copy of my license 'cause I looked like I was on drugs.

^-.-^

[Cia]

My 14 year old daughter is supposed to be studying for her learner's permit, generally called a 'school license'. After 6 months, 3 months if she successfully completes an approved driver education course, she can take the test for a restricted minor's permit. At 16 she can test for an unrestricted operator's license.

So far she's read half the manual and we've taken her driving in the nearby high school parking lot. Lets just say I wish there was a brake pedal on the passenger side.

[Anakah]

Wow... Was there anybody else witnessing this? I'd go and report him. Driving is stressful when you first start out. I hit the brakes like crazy and made several mistakes. I still do. It's okay. That dude is a dick. Don't let him get to you.

Don't worry about the age thing, my hubbie is 26 and just got his permit. He had a bad accident a long time ago and had been scared to drive but he finally got he nerve to try again.

Is it possible to get another instructor?

[Erin]

I took drivers ed and got my learner's permit when I was 15. The teacher for the driver's ed class was not a nice person. She was pretty nasty. I decided that I wasnt ready to get my driver's license after taking the class, so I waited a few more years and then got the urge to learn to drive again.

So, a friend of mine was trying to teach me how to drive a stick shift, but he had a really crappy teaching style. If I did something wrong, he'd tickle me. Yeah...smart thing to do when you've got an inexperienced driver behind the wheel...tickle her and see if she loses control of the car and hits a building or something. I got so nervous about getting tickled that I couldnt keep my left foot on the clutch.

So, I waited til I was about...22, and decided to try to learn again. My dad had just bought my mom a used Toyota Corolla that was automatic, and one day my mom and I were on our way home from somewhere when I asked her if I could drive the car thru the neighborhood once we got to the street where the high school was. My mom, surprisingly agreed (she refused to let me learn using her car when I was 15), and pulled into the high school parking lot and we switched seats.

I drove thru the neighborhood for about 20 minutes, just driving up and down the streets and my mom was telling me to stop at the T-intersections and telling me other bits of info. After that drive, my dad and I would go out and drive thru the neighborhood after dinner for a few weeks after that. I finally got brave enough to go out on the big streets and drive. So, we did that for a few weeks.

I finally got my driver's license about a week before I turned 23. (my dad didnt get his license until he was 22. My mom learned at 16)

I came home from work one afternoon and there was a mid-80's (5 speed) Nissan pickup in the driveway with in-transit stickers on it. My dad and I went out to drive that that day, and discovered it had a fuel line problem or something else fuel related wrong with it. (it would die at the bottom of hills, and just didnt drive well) We got it fixed up, and my dad taught me to drive stick shift on that truck. Told me that if I could drive this truck, I could drive anything. I loved that truck. I miss my truck sometimes.

I learned to drive stick within a week, since I didnt have anyone tickling me whenever I was making a mistake. My dad gave me the truck.

My sister, who is 2 1/2 yrs older than me still didnt have her license (and was really jealous that I had my license AND a car), so my dad decided to teach her the same way he taught me.

Loved it when he had her back out of the driveway the first time. She backed out doing warp speed and nearly crashed the car into the neighbor's house across the street. (literally came within a few inches of the brick/cement porch and the garage door) I wish I'd had a video camera at the time. (I was watching from my bedroom because my sister didnt want me watching her drive from the front door. She was weird)

So, my dad put the car back, and had my sister back out again. Whooosh! back into the neighbor's front yard....and she did that maybe a couple of more times before she realized you dont have to smash your foot down on the accelerator to make the car go vrooom! (at least she knew where the brake was!)

My sister is one of those people who seems to be afraid of her own car and her own driving.

She finally got her license and my mom's Toyota Corolla. (mom got the car back a few years later. My sister never did any maintenance on it and it was barely moving when she got it back)

My sister is still an overly cautious driver now...when she lived in England, she pretty much refused to drive anywhere except in the village they lived in. (near RAF Alconbury) If she had to drive anywhere else, she had my b-in-law do the driving.


I'm a little more adventurous of a driver, but even I dont like to drive on the interstate. I used to do some highway driving, but after I had a serious vision problem a few years ago that likes to occasionally come back, (it's fully recovered each time so far) I tend to just drive in the city I live in. I dont use the interstate unless it's to get to the community college downtown (not as heavily traveled or covered in road construction as the other parts of the interstate and doesnt scare me as much...altho that part of town scares me more than interstate driving)

[Jay 2K Winger]

I turned 15 while I was living in Plano, TX, but at the time, I was dealing with some self-esteem and stress issues, and felt it wasn't a good idea to take driver's ed until I was more confident. By that summer, when the classes were being offered again, my dad had gotten a new job in the DC area, and we knew we were going to be moving, so I decided to hold off until we moved and got settled into the house.

Of course, the house wasn't finished until that fall, several months later, and then I was adjusting to school again. I didn't get my license until I was 17-going-on-18. And even then, my folks insisted on giving me their own "driver's ed," until they were confident of my skills.

My driver's ed classroom teacher was well enough, and the instructor I had for the driving part of the course was pretty damn good as well.

I can't help picture the OP's teacher like this: "DRIVE PROPERLY, OR I'LL F**KING KILL YOU! CAPTAAAAAAIN DOUCHEBAG!"

[Megg]

I agree, Captain Douchebag sounds like a ... well, douchebag. One thing that stood out to me is this, though:

Thing is, I wasn't doing anything stupid or dangerous, according to him, I was over cautious.

Being overcautious, not to be mean, can be both stupid and dangerous. The problem is, a lot of people don't pay attention well enough, and if you are scared, and going too slow, you can cause an accident. Cautious is great, scared will cause pain. If that makes sense.

[Seshat]

Lets just say I wish there was a brake pedal on the passenger side.

Where I am, driving instructors' cars do. Both my father and my brother can drive as well from the passenger's seat as the driver's.

[Imogene]

and 2) Pretend the "20mph" sign in front of the school is 247 and not just during certain hours.

Took a moment to realize that the 247 was a measure of time, not speed... Wow... I didn't even know my car could GO 247 MPH... and it handles like shit...

[Dentarthurdent]

Wow. What a jackass. I'm sorry you had to put up with all that.

I think I had the same driver's ed instructor, or at least one who attended the same school of driver's ed instructing (if there is such a thing). My very first time doing practice (in an empty parking lot), I accidentally didn't push hard enough on the brake and knocked over an orange cone, and he started screaming "WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME, <LASTNAME>? IT'S BECAUSE YOU HATE ME, DON'T YOU???" Well, I just met you a couple days ago, but I'm working on it...

I was more annoyed than scared, since he was a rather slightly built man with a ridiculous mullet... He made every effort to put me down and mock me in front of the basic computing class I was forced to take with him later, because I'd stated a desire to take a competency test and skip the course, but wasn't able to get my hands on the relevant software quickly enough for the deadline. A real pleasant dude.

He also would let people out of driver's ed class early if they shouted out the correct capital to whatever state name he shouted. He also did this in his regular high school classes occasionally. Dumbass.

[Kogarashi]

Growing up in upstate NY, I was able to take the written test at the DMV at age 16 to get my permit before taking Driver's Ed. I actually got it almost a whole year before, since the only Driver's Ed class I had access to was through the high school, and my class schedule didn't allow for it in either my Junior or Senior year. So I took it during summer school.

My teacher was (thankfully) pretty cool. He was patient with everyone, cracking jokes and helping us to relax when possible. He took things at a steady pace and gently corrected us. Proof of his skills lay, I think, in the fact that I only lost one point on the DMV's driving test, and that because the tester thought I'd gotten too close to a pickup truck in front of the car I was parallel parking behind, nevermind that the pickup was pulling away at the time, and quite obviously so.

My dad was a bit harder to drive with. He was rather short-tempered, though it only ever manifested as a raised voice. That's the reason I've never properly learned to drive stick. We tried once, and got into a shouting match about a mile down the country road we lived on (my father's daughter, after all) after I stalled five times in a row just trying to get out of the driveway. He drove home.