At what age did you get your driver's license?

I got mine when I was 16. Failed once because the fat bitch tester took up 3/4 of the bench seat in my mom's Bonneville (pretty big car, BTW). I didn't even have room to put my right-hand on the steering wheel, much less have elbow room to actually steer the car. So, I ended up hitting the curb because she took me through the worst intersection in town, which is followed by a hairpin turn, which I had to make using only my left hand.

I took it a second time and was tested by the biggest asshole I've ever met. I only missed a few points on the whole thing and he was telling me that I was lucky he's even going to pass me.

Despite that, I love driving now.
 
Couple months before I turned 21. Failed it when I first took it at 19 (me being mister hotstuff, decided I didn't need no stinking practice), and waited a full year & some change to take it again.

No biggie, I wasn't due for a car till my 21 BDay anyhow, so it wasn't like I had anything to drive.
 
Got my permit at 15. Didn't really like driving, but I wanted to get it over with.

Ended up failing my first license test at 16 ('automatic fail' for supposedly hitting the curb while backing up - I still think she was crazy). Failed again a few months later (another 'automatic fail' - this time for not looking over my shoulder while turning right when there was a bike lane).

Didn't re-take it again until I was about to go off to college. Aced it the third time. I'm 25 now and drive all the time, but I still don't enjoy it.

TMK, you can make all the excuses you want for why you don't have your license, but in the end it comes down to you being scared. Which is totally fine - but don't make excuses like "In the 9 years since I've been eligible to get my license, I haven't had time" because you know that's not true. I think the best thing for you to do is suck it up. Once you give it a shot, you'll get used to it and eventually you'll start to feel comfortable driving. You may not ever enjoy it, but you can at least get over your fears.

Don't let failing the test deter you. Half my friends failed the first time (and tried to hide it from everyone), and I failed twice! It sucks and I sulked for a few weeks, but life goes on.
 
I actually took Driver's Ed and passed the class but never really went to get my card so didn't get it till 18. After I got out of bootcamp and went home on leave I needed a way to get to my first base. So I went and only had to take the driver's exam and got my card, bought my first car the day after. I was 18 at the time.
 
Got mine late at 17.

I expected it to be hard, but really it was incredibly easy to achieve(videogame driving skills perhaps helped?). So, basically if you fail, you suck at life! The only sucky part was putting up with state required driving classes that were a total bore.

I must admit though, I was just a little disappointed that they didn't have any autopilot or hover cars for me to drive in at the time....

Grr, I have a license, but I still have yet to have my own car!
 
[quote name='rendil']
TMK, you can make all the excuses you want for why you don't have your license, but in the end it comes down to you being scared. Which is totally fine - but don't make excuses like "In the 9 years since I've been eligible to get my license, I haven't had time" because you know that's not true. I think the best thing for you to do is suck it up. Once you give it a shot, you'll get used to it and eventually you'll start to feel comfortable driving. You may not ever enjoy it, but you can at least get over your fears.

Don't let failing the test deter you. Half my friends failed the first time (and tried to hide it from everyone), and I failed twice! It sucks and I sulked for a few weeks, but life goes on.[/QUOTE]Well, I was actually away at college for a while and I couldn't drive with my parents, so that partially explains my reasoning. Also, I did have quite a bit of class work to do and Senior Design project, leaving me very little time to do other things.

Yes, there is some fear. One thing I think about all the time is, let's just say I go ahead and get my license in a few weeks and pass the test. What happens if I have to merge onto the highway (when busy) or drive in many situations I never tried? That's the big problem I have and it's why I'm trying to gain as much experience as possible. Also, what I worry about too is let's say I get a job in another town. Would it seriously be a good idea for me to be away from family quite a distance, only have a license for a few months or less? These are questions I continue to think about.

It's like this, I now have my Bachelors and can now get a pretty good job. My big problem is my hometown is very bad for jobs (you just can't find them), so I pretty much have to go away. However, I cannot go away because I'd have to drive to work (unless I lived in a big city, but with the very high cost of living in a big city, it will not work out initially). So it's why I'm in a slump trying to figure out what to do, and I do realize getting a driver's license will solve a lot of this (then I'd be down to finding a job and girlfriend).

[quote name='leveskikesko']
Grr, I have a license, but I still have yet to have my own car![/QUOTE]I actually have my own car though, but my Dad mostly drives it at the moment.
 
i got mines at 16. I once saw a 23 year old take the test(written part) and he broke down and was so scared of failing it. i mean he literally started crying. sad..
 
The day I turned 16, I got my license. I got my drivers permit exactly one year before. I find it weird that kids these days don't get their license when they turn 16. But when I got mine, it was a lot easier to get it. I had the old laminated paper MI license. It is awesome. Now they have these vertical licenses for minors because people can't read for shit.
 
I started shifting from the passenger seat at 8, was allowed to drive on back roads at 12 from time to time, mastered it at 16, got license at 18. I got a 95 on my test, which was total crap. I made sure to exaggerate my head movements so the guy knew I was looking both ways, at the end he marked me down 5 points for not looking both ways. I was and still am upset about that. Such crap :cry:
 
23 and still don't have my license. I'll admit that being scared is part of the reason , and the high cost of gas and insurance is the other half. I have been doing some practice runs around my neighborhood so that I'll be ready when I do eventually take it.

I haven't been in a major rush to get my license since I live about 15 minutes away (on foot) from where I work so I just hoof it. Good exercise and cheap. Everyone at works thinks I'm crazy though.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']Got mine at 16. Though I don't drive much. I prefer public transportation.[/QUOTE]At the college I went to, we had awesome public transportation. Due to being a student, I was able to ride the bus for free. The bus went pretty much every where in town and would come every 30 minutes. Getting free bus rides was nice, and when adding the prices of gas, I REALLY saved a lot of money. :)

[quote name='StarKnightX']23 and still don't have my license. I'll admit that being scared is part of the reason , and the high cost of gas and insurance is the other half. I have been doing some practice runs around my neighborhood so that I'll be ready when I do eventually take it.

I haven't been in a major rush to get my license since I live about 15 minutes away (on foot) from where I work so I just hoof it. Good exercise and cheap. Everyone at works thinks I'm crazy though.[/QUOTE]Maybe I'll have to move in a city like yours. Sounds pretty nice.

[quote name='Kendal']The day I turned 16, I got my license. I got my drivers permit exactly one year before. I find it weird that kids these days don't get their license when they turn 16. But when I got mine, it was a lot easier to get it. I had the old laminated paper MI license. It is awesome. Now they have these vertical licenses for minors because people can't read for shit.[/QUOTE]
It would have been easier to get one at 16 because I had time, and was more enthusiastic. But at the same time, I lacked maturity compared to now and might have done something stupid (back then, I was close to doing drugs because most of my friends did and would have probably speeded a lot).
 
18, right before I moved to Seattle.

If I had known what Seattle was like, I probably still wouldn't have one -- I'd just bus everywhere. Car insurance, maintenance, parking, gas, depreciation is all far too expensive.

Insurance: $1,400 a year with good student & good driver discounts, no moving infractions.
Maintenance: About ~$500 a year. Lately it's been far more than that due to vandalism (keying) and water damage (leaking sunroof).
Gas: About ~$1,500 for just 8,000 miles a year, well below average.
Depreciation: About ~1,800 a year. In 5 years I expect to sell my $15,000 GTi for about $6,000.
Parking: Luckily only about ~$500 a year right now. If I parked at school that'd be an addition $1,020 per year ($254 per quarter).

Works out to $5,700 a year, or a whopping $16 per day. That's as much as I pay for rent (splitting a 2-bed 2-bath apt with a roommate), more than I spend on food each day, equal to a year of in-state tuition, and more than 5 times as much as I pay for electricity.

fuck driving. I'll probably sell my car soon and just bus everywhere.
 
[quote name='Koggit']18, right before I moved to Seattle.

If I had known what Seattle was like, I probably still wouldn't have one -- I'd just bus everywhere. Car insurance, maintenance, parking, gas, depreciation is all far too expensive.

Insurance: $1,400 a year with good student & good driver discounts, no moving infractions.
Maintenance: About ~$500 a year. Lately it's been far more than that due to vandalism (keying) and water damage (leaking sunroof).
Gas: About ~$1,500 for just 8,000 miles a year, well below average.
Depreciation: About ~1,800 a year. In 5 years I expect to sell my $15,000 GTi for about $6,000.
Parking: Luckily only about ~$500 a year right now. If I parked at school that'd be an addition $1,020 per year ($254 per quarter).

Works out to $5,700 a year, or a whopping $16 per day. That's as much as I pay for rent (splitting a 2-bed 2-bath apt with a roommate), more than I spend on food each day, equal to a year of in-state tuition, and more than 5 times as much as I pay for electricity.

fuck driving. I'll probably sell my car soon and just bus everywhere.[/QUOTE]Ouch, that's really expensive. I might never move to Seattle with those prices of a car.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']It would have been easier to get one at 16 because I had time, and was more enthusiastic. But at the same time, I lacked maturity compared to now and might have done something stupid (back then, I was close to doing drugs because most of my friends did and would have probably speeded a lot).[/quote]

Well here in MI, right after I got my license there were tons of rules enforced and had to show proof of driving records(easily faked). I was one of the last of my friends to fall under the old laws. I had no curfew and didn't even need to take a driving test. I went in and took a test, got my mugshot and got a piece of paper stating I could legally drive. I went and picked up some friends and we played Lazer Tag. It was the shit.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']

No offence to you yanks, but your driving test is a piece of piss, I can't believe people fail it. [/quote]

It's different in every state.

In Maine I heard it was insanely hard.
 
I got my license about two weeks before turning 17.

The driving test itself was pretty easy except for when I tried to parallel park. We pulled onto an empty street and the instructor told me to "pretend the front bumper of the car behind you is there and the rear bumper of the car ahead of you there." There was no cars, no cones, not even a real curb in this street. Needless to say it was an interesting experience since my imaging of where the cars and curb were and the instructor's were slightly off. When the instructor started to critique my attempt I asked him if he'd like to show me how to properly parallel park in a pretend environment.

I passed the test with flying colors. :lol:
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Ouch, that's really expensive. I might never move to Seattle with those prices of a car.[/QUOTE]

You can very easily get around Seattle without a car, the buses are great here. At least 75% of my friends don't own cars, just bus passes.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry']I think you can get one at 14 if you convince the DMZ you work on a family farm. Some soft of "farm act" loophole. Might only apply to tractors and shit though.[/quote]

Not sure what it is in Illinois, but I was driving our farm equipment (pickup/tractor/etc.) at 12.

Permit at 15.

License four days after my 16th birthday.
 
I'm 21 (soon to be 22) and still don't have mine. I've had my permit for a few years, and done some very light driving, and have to say I didn't really enjoy it. Something about being in a heavy vehicle moving at a speed which could get me seriously injured just scares me shitless. I'm not really concerned about myself though, it's all the maniacs you see that scare me. I'm hoping by the end of the year I'll have mine, though. At least then I won't have to harass my mom to get to the store to pick up some cheap ass video games.
 
[quote name='joshythegreat18']I'm 21 (soon to be 22) and still don't have mine. I've had my permit for a few years, and done some very light driving, and have to say I didn't really enjoy it. Something about being in a heavy vehicle moving at a speed which could get me seriously injured just scares me shitless. I'm not really concerned about myself though, it's all the maniacs you see that scare me. I'm hoping by the end of the year I'll have mine, though. At least then I won't have to harass my mom to get to the store to pick up some cheap ass video games.[/QUOTE]Yeah, I know and understand the feeling. I don't really enjoy driving myself, but I absolutely must do it if I'm going to get anywhere in life. I really want to visit some theme parks, but cannot until I get a license. One good thing about me getting one is that I'll be willing to organize events for CAG (like a theme park get together, but that's being worked on).

Some driving fears I have are (This is something I took the time to write elsewhere before):
Merging on highway is my first fear. I live in a city where the highway is the main way to get places. In many towns I go to, there’s only one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. Where I live, there’s two exit ramps and two entrance ramps; therefore, you have to merge onto the highway kind of quickly since there are cars wanting to merge to the exit, while your trying to merge onto the highway in a short distance. At times, it doesn’t appear to be bad. Sometimes, there’s tons of traffic and semi-trucks everywhere can’t merge over, so just how will I merge onto a highway? As a little sub-point here, I do feel a little uneasy being next to a semi-truck in a car, since I sometimes fear the semi-truck will smash into the car if it turns left/right (if there’s a lot of wind, it sometimes feels like a semi is pushing into me.

Parallel parking is my second fear. I have watched many TV shows and cartoons in my lifetime about the horrors of paralleling parking. I still think about that episode of Doug when his sister Judy couldn’t parallel park. I know for sure that I’d be required to parallel park if I took a driver’s test, and I barely know how to do it. I’ve read books, watched videos, read online, etc. and it seems complicated. Maybe it’s something I need to try myself. Due to living around a college campus, I constantly see students try to parallel park, and what happens is that they bump into a tree. That makes me feel even more uneasy about parallel parking. Parallel parking is very important to learn since that will give me confidence to pass the driver’s test, and I'll probably have to do it often.

Driving on snow and ice is my third fear. Due to living in Indiana, it snows every year. You’d think people in Indiana would know how to drive in snow, but that’s not always the case. When a snowstorm hits or there’s ice, I’ll hear reports of several accidents on the news. I’ve seen several people on the road that couldn’t stop their car on ice; therefore, they bumped into the person in front of them. Although my family tells me to keep my distance, I still have a fear it would happen to me. Oh course, I’ve seen a few cars turn the wheel too sharply, causing them to go into a skid. I actually forgot how to get myself out of a skid. Part of the reason I want to move somewhere warm when I finish college, so I don’t have to drive in snow. If it snows, most people will have very little experience driving in snow like me.

Being stuck behind two big vehicles in parking lot is my fourth biggest fear. There’s no denying, it will happen for sure. Around 75% of the time when I’m with my Mom, a big sports utility vehicle, van, truck, etc. parks next to my Mom on both sides. When that happens, it’s near impossible to see when backing up. Although they say drive slowly, which I’d do, I’m more so worried about pulling out a good distance, so I don’t run into the cars behind me or hit either big vehicle next to me. I plan to park out far and pull through, so I can see easier (doesn’t bother me since I love to walk), but I’ll probably end up somewhere with limited parking spaces one day or another.

Applying the brakes smoothly and correctly is my fifth biggest fear. This really isn’t much of a fear, I do worry about it sometimes. When practicing driving before, I had a little trouble pushing the brake a little rough, causing a sudden stop. I want to brake smoothly, but I’ve had some difficulty doing that. Another reason I bring up braking is that I’ve seen people stop suddenly on the road, where one person might have been 1 second too slow; therefore, that person bumped into the person in front of him. I really want to work hard to avoid that.

I have other little concerns too, but they aren’t major, such as keeping a car’s speed constant (when driving on a U.S. highway, I had problems keeping the accelerator constant, varying my speed too much). I’m a tad concerned about keeping the car straight and staying within the correct driving lane. I have a little fear of passing another vehicle, since it looks kind of tough to me, but I never tried it.
 
[quote name='joshythegreat18']I'm 21 (soon to be 22) and still don't have mine. I've had my permit for a few years, and done some very light driving, and have to say I didn't really enjoy it. Something about being in a heavy vehicle moving at a speed which could get me seriously injured just scares me shitless. I'm not really concerned about myself though, it's all the maniacs you see that scare me. I'm hoping by the end of the year I'll have mine, though. At least then I won't have to harass my mom to get to the store to pick up some cheap ass video games.[/QUOTE]

SIR, YOU ARE ME. I feel exactly the same way. It's not ME that I'm afraid of.. I am petrified of everyone else on the road. Too many stupid people out there!!!
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Yeah, I know and understand the feeling. I don't really enjoy driving myself, but I absolutely must do it if I'm going to get anywhere in life. I really want to visit some theme parks, but cannot until I get a license. One good thing about me getting one is that I'll be willing to organize events for CAG (like a theme park get together, but that's being worked on).

Some driving fears I have are (This is something I took the time to write elsewhere before):
Merging on highway is my first fear. I live in a city where the highway is the main way to get places. In many towns I go to, there’s only one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. Where I live, there’s two exit ramps and two entrance ramps; therefore, you have to merge onto the highway kind of quickly since there are cars wanting to merge to the exit, while your trying to merge onto the highway in a short distance. At times, it doesn’t appear to be bad. Sometimes, there’s tons of traffic and semi-trucks everywhere can’t merge over, so just how will I merge onto a highway? As a little sub-point here, I do feel a little uneasy being next to a semi-truck in a car, since I sometimes fear the semi-truck will smash into the car if it turns left/right (if there’s a lot of wind, it sometimes feels like a semi is pushing into me.

Parallel parking is my second fear. I have watched many TV shows and cartoons in my lifetime about the horrors of paralleling parking. I still think about that episode of Doug when his sister Judy couldn’t parallel park. I know for sure that I’d be required to parallel park if I took a driver’s test, and I barely know how to do it. I’ve read books, watched videos, read online, etc. and it seems complicated. Maybe it’s something I need to try myself. Due to living around a college campus, I constantly see students try to parallel park, and what happens is that they bump into a tree. That makes me feel even more uneasy about parallel parking. Parallel parking is very important to learn since that will give me confidence to pass the driver’s test, and I'll probably have to do it often.

Driving on snow and ice is my third fear. Due to living in Indiana, it snows every year. You’d think people in Indiana would know how to drive in snow, but that’s not always the case. When a snowstorm hits or there’s ice, I’ll hear reports of several accidents on the news. I’ve seen several people on the road that couldn’t stop their car on ice; therefore, they bumped into the person in front of them. Although my family tells me to keep my distance, I still have a fear it would happen to me. Oh course, I’ve seen a few cars turn the wheel too sharply, causing them to go into a skid. I actually forgot how to get myself out of a skid. Part of the reason I want to move somewhere warm when I finish college, so I don’t have to drive in snow. If it snows, most people will have very little experience driving in snow like me.

Being stuck behind two big vehicles in parking lot is my fourth biggest fear. There’s no denying, it will happen for sure. Around 75% of the time when I’m with my Mom, a big sports utility vehicle, van, truck, etc. parks next to my Mom on both sides. When that happens, it’s near impossible to see when backing up. Although they say drive slowly, which I’d do, I’m more so worried about pulling out a good distance, so I don’t run into the cars behind me or hit either big vehicle next to me. I plan to park out far and pull through, so I can see easier (doesn’t bother me since I love to walk), but I’ll probably end up somewhere with limited parking spaces one day or another.

Applying the brakes smoothly and correctly is my fifth biggest fear. This really isn’t much of a fear, I do worry about it sometimes. When practicing driving before, I had a little trouble pushing the brake a little rough, causing a sudden stop. I want to brake smoothly, but I’ve had some difficulty doing that. Another reason I bring up braking is that I’ve seen people stop suddenly on the road, where one person might have been 1 second too slow; therefore, that person bumped into the person in front of him. I really want to work hard to avoid that.

I have other little concerns too, but they aren’t major, such as keeping a car’s speed constant (when driving on a U.S. highway, I had problems keeping the accelerator constant, varying my speed too much). I’m a tad concerned about keeping the car straight and staying within the correct driving lane. I have a little fear of passing another vehicle, since it looks kind of tough to me, but I never tried it.[/quote]

You know TMK, I like you alot but I can't help myself.

:rofl:
 
[quote name='darthbudge']You know TMK, I like you alot but I can't help myself.

:rofl:[/QUOTE]When you wait a long time, watch several things happen (like I was in an accident), more and more fears start to develop and it becomes harder to learn. When you are young not thinking about these things, it's just much easier to not worry about this.

You live in TX and don't get snow, so yo don't have to worry about one of the things I listed. ;)
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Yeah, I know and understand the feeling. I don't really enjoy driving myself, but I absolutely must do it if I'm going to get anywhere in life. I really want to visit some theme parks, but cannot until I get a license. One good thing about me getting one is that I'll be willing to organize events for CAG (like a theme park get together, but that's being worked on).

Some driving fears I have are (This is something I took the time to write elsewhere before):
Merging on highway is my first fear. I live in a city where the highway is the main way to get places. In many towns I go to, there’s only one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. Where I live, there’s two exit ramps and two entrance ramps; therefore, you have to merge onto the highway kind of quickly since there are cars wanting to merge to the exit, while your trying to merge onto the highway in a short distance. At times, it doesn’t appear to be bad. Sometimes, there’s tons of traffic and semi-trucks everywhere can’t merge over, so just how will I merge onto a highway? As a little sub-point here, I do feel a little uneasy being next to a semi-truck in a car, since I sometimes fear the semi-truck will smash into the car if it turns left/right (if there’s a lot of wind, it sometimes feels like a semi is pushing into me.

Parallel parking is my second fear. I have watched many TV shows and cartoons in my lifetime about the horrors of paralleling parking. I still think about that episode of Doug when his sister Judy couldn’t parallel park. I know for sure that I’d be required to parallel park if I took a driver’s test, and I barely know how to do it. I’ve read books, watched videos, read online, etc. and it seems complicated. Maybe it’s something I need to try myself. Due to living around a college campus, I constantly see students try to parallel park, and what happens is that they bump into a tree. That makes me feel even more uneasy about parallel parking. Parallel parking is very important to learn since that will give me confidence to pass the driver’s test, and I'll probably have to do it often.

Driving on snow and ice is my third fear. Due to living in Indiana, it snows every year. You’d think people in Indiana would know how to drive in snow, but that’s not always the case. When a snowstorm hits or there’s ice, I’ll hear reports of several accidents on the news. I’ve seen several people on the road that couldn’t stop their car on ice; therefore, they bumped into the person in front of them. Although my family tells me to keep my distance, I still have a fear it would happen to me. Oh course, I’ve seen a few cars turn the wheel too sharply, causing them to go into a skid. I actually forgot how to get myself out of a skid. Part of the reason I want to move somewhere warm when I finish college, so I don’t have to drive in snow. If it snows, most people will have very little experience driving in snow like me.

Being stuck behind two big vehicles in parking lot is my fourth biggest fear. There’s no denying, it will happen for sure. Around 75% of the time when I’m with my Mom, a big sports utility vehicle, van, truck, etc. parks next to my Mom on both sides. When that happens, it’s near impossible to see when backing up. Although they say drive slowly, which I’d do, I’m more so worried about pulling out a good distance, so I don’t run into the cars behind me or hit either big vehicle next to me. I plan to park out far and pull through, so I can see easier (doesn’t bother me since I love to walk), but I’ll probably end up somewhere with limited parking spaces one day or another.

Applying the brakes smoothly and correctly is my fifth biggest fear. This really isn’t much of a fear, I do worry about it sometimes. When practicing driving before, I had a little trouble pushing the brake a little rough, causing a sudden stop. I want to brake smoothly, but I’ve had some difficulty doing that. Another reason I bring up braking is that I’ve seen people stop suddenly on the road, where one person might have been 1 second too slow; therefore, that person bumped into the person in front of him. I really want to work hard to avoid that.

I have other little concerns too, but they aren’t major, such as keeping a car’s speed constant (when driving on a U.S. highway, I had problems keeping the accelerator constant, varying my speed too much). I’m a tad concerned about keeping the car straight and staying within the correct driving lane. I have a little fear of passing another vehicle, since it looks kind of tough to me, but I never tried it.[/quote]
 
I live in Minnesota. The drivers and snow are worse. You're just being a pussy looking for an excuse. There's a difference between a concern and an irrational fear. Are you afraid to have sex because she might have teeth in her vaj?
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Yeah, I know and understand the feeling. I don't really enjoy driving myself, but I absolutely must do it if I'm going to get anywhere in life. I really want to visit some theme parks, but cannot until I get a license. One good thing about me getting one is that I'll be willing to organize events for CAG (like a theme park get together, but that's being worked on).

Some driving fears I have are (This is something I took the time to write elsewhere before):
Merging on highway is my first fear. I live in a city where the highway is the main way to get places. In many towns I go to, there’s only one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. Where I live, there’s two exit ramps and two entrance ramps; therefore, you have to merge onto the highway kind of quickly since there are cars wanting to merge to the exit, while your trying to merge onto the highway in a short distance. At times, it doesn’t appear to be bad. Sometimes, there’s tons of traffic and semi-trucks everywhere can’t merge over, so just how will I merge onto a highway? As a little sub-point here, I do feel a little uneasy being next to a semi-truck in a car, since I sometimes fear the semi-truck will smash into the car if it turns left/right (if there’s a lot of wind, it sometimes feels like a semi is pushing into me.

Parallel parking is my second fear. I have watched many TV shows and cartoons in my lifetime about the horrors of paralleling parking. I still think about that episode of Doug when his sister Judy couldn’t parallel park. I know for sure that I’d be required to parallel park if I took a driver’s test, and I barely know how to do it. I’ve read books, watched videos, read online, etc. and it seems complicated. Maybe it’s something I need to try myself. Due to living around a college campus, I constantly see students try to parallel park, and what happens is that they bump into a tree. That makes me feel even more uneasy about parallel parking. Parallel parking is very important to learn since that will give me confidence to pass the driver’s test, and I'll probably have to do it often.

Driving on snow and ice is my third fear. Due to living in Indiana, it snows every year. You’d think people in Indiana would know how to drive in snow, but that’s not always the case. When a snowstorm hits or there’s ice, I’ll hear reports of several accidents on the news. I’ve seen several people on the road that couldn’t stop their car on ice; therefore, they bumped into the person in front of them. Although my family tells me to keep my distance, I still have a fear it would happen to me. Oh course, I’ve seen a few cars turn the wheel too sharply, causing them to go into a skid. I actually forgot how to get myself out of a skid. Part of the reason I want to move somewhere warm when I finish college, so I don’t have to drive in snow. If it snows, most people will have very little experience driving in snow like me.

Being stuck behind two big vehicles in parking lot is my fourth biggest fear. There’s no denying, it will happen for sure. Around 75% of the time when I’m with my Mom, a big sports utility vehicle, van, truck, etc. parks next to my Mom on both sides. When that happens, it’s near impossible to see when backing up. Although they say drive slowly, which I’d do, I’m more so worried about pulling out a good distance, so I don’t run into the cars behind me or hit either big vehicle next to me. I plan to park out far and pull through, so I can see easier (doesn’t bother me since I love to walk), but I’ll probably end up somewhere with limited parking spaces one day or another.

Applying the brakes smoothly and correctly is my fifth biggest fear. This really isn’t much of a fear, I do worry about it sometimes. When practicing driving before, I had a little trouble pushing the brake a little rough, causing a sudden stop. I want to brake smoothly, but I’ve had some difficulty doing that. Another reason I bring up braking is that I’ve seen people stop suddenly on the road, where one person might have been 1 second too slow; therefore, that person bumped into the person in front of him. I really want to work hard to avoid that.

I have other little concerns too, but they aren’t major, such as keeping a car’s speed constant (when driving on a U.S. highway, I had problems keeping the accelerator constant, varying my speed too much). I’m a tad concerned about keeping the car straight and staying within the correct driving lane. I have a little fear of passing another vehicle, since it looks kind of tough to me, but I never tried it.[/quote]
 
I can understand peoples fears about driving but aren't you pretty stuck in this country if you can't drive.

I had to go without my licence for about 3 weeks recently, infact I renewed last week, and I got by but it was pretty annoying not being able to drive and having to rely on getting lifts everywhere from friends.

[quote name='The Mana Knight']
You live in TX and don't get snow, so yo don't have to worry about one of the things I listed. ;)[/quote]

TMK has got a point there Budge, I'm sick of you people in Texas living your carefree exitences, with your Dallas-style lives and easy access to Mexican food ;)
 
16. We had driver's ed in high school, so it was part of our curriculum. If you did well enough in the class you brought a slip into the DMV and got your license. So I basically took my final drivers test as a high school test.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']
Aren't people in Minnesota more use to the snow anyway??
[/quote]


The Twin Cities MN average 40ish inches of snow a year, and Fort Wayne averages 30ish a year, so you should be used to snow.

TMK...you just can't be the same person you are here IRL.

If you ARE somehow the same IRL, you're parents fucked you up big time.


If you put the same energy/passion into getting a license, laid, drunk, etc, as you did tickling Sony Balls, you'd lead a much fuller life
 
[quote name='Deefuzz']16. We had driver's ed in high school, so it was part of our curriculum. If you did well enough in the class you brought a slip into the DMV and got your license. So I basically took my final drivers test as a high school test.[/QUOTE]

I wish I had that in high school. That would make things so much easier. All we had were those stupid simulation machines.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']To be honest, I removed the part in the original entry of mentioning how I tried to parallel park in Gran Turismo HD, and it didn't work. ;)[/QUOTE]

ahahahaa, you stink.

I didn't have to parallel park at my driving test.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Yeah, I know and understand the feeling. I don't really enjoy driving myself, but I absolutely must do it if I'm going to get anywhere in life. I really want to visit some theme parks, but cannot until I get a license. One good thing about me getting one is that I'll be willing to organize events for CAG (like a theme park get together, but that's being worked on).

Some driving fears I have are (This is something I took the time to write elsewhere before):
Merging on highway is my first fear. I live in a city where the highway is the main way to get places. In many towns I go to, there’s only one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. Where I live, there’s two exit ramps and two entrance ramps; therefore, you have to merge onto the highway kind of quickly since there are cars wanting to merge to the exit, while your trying to merge onto the highway in a short distance. At times, it doesn’t appear to be bad. Sometimes, there’s tons of traffic and semi-trucks everywhere can’t merge over, so just how will I merge onto a highway? As a little sub-point here, I do feel a little uneasy being next to a semi-truck in a car, since I sometimes fear the semi-truck will smash into the car if it turns left/right (if there’s a lot of wind, it sometimes feels like a semi is pushing into me.

Parallel parking is my second fear. I have watched many TV shows and cartoons in my lifetime about the horrors of paralleling parking. I still think about that episode of Doug when his sister Judy couldn’t parallel park. I know for sure that I’d be required to parallel park if I took a driver’s test, and I barely know how to do it. I’ve read books, watched videos, read online, etc. and it seems complicated. Maybe it’s something I need to try myself. Due to living around a college campus, I constantly see students try to parallel park, and what happens is that they bump into a tree. That makes me feel even more uneasy about parallel parking. Parallel parking is very important to learn since that will give me confidence to pass the driver’s test, and I'll probably have to do it often.

Driving on snow and ice is my third fear. Due to living in Indiana, it snows every year. You’d think people in Indiana would know how to drive in snow, but that’s not always the case. When a snowstorm hits or there’s ice, I’ll hear reports of several accidents on the news. I’ve seen several people on the road that couldn’t stop their car on ice; therefore, they bumped into the person in front of them. Although my family tells me to keep my distance, I still have a fear it would happen to me. Oh course, I’ve seen a few cars turn the wheel too sharply, causing them to go into a skid. I actually forgot how to get myself out of a skid. Part of the reason I want to move somewhere warm when I finish college, so I don’t have to drive in snow. If it snows, most people will have very little experience driving in snow like me.

Being stuck behind two big vehicles in parking lot is my fourth biggest fear. There’s no denying, it will happen for sure. Around 75% of the time when I’m with my Mom, a big sports utility vehicle, van, truck, etc. parks next to my Mom on both sides. When that happens, it’s near impossible to see when backing up. Although they say drive slowly, which I’d do, I’m more so worried about pulling out a good distance, so I don’t run into the cars behind me or hit either big vehicle next to me. I plan to park out far and pull through, so I can see easier (doesn’t bother me since I love to walk), but I’ll probably end up somewhere with limited parking spaces one day or another.

Applying the brakes smoothly and correctly is my fifth biggest fear. This really isn’t much of a fear, I do worry about it sometimes. When practicing driving before, I had a little trouble pushing the brake a little rough, causing a sudden stop. I want to brake smoothly, but I’ve had some difficulty doing that. Another reason I bring up braking is that I’ve seen people stop suddenly on the road, where one person might have been 1 second too slow; therefore, that person bumped into the person in front of him. I really want to work hard to avoid that.

I have other little concerns too, but they aren’t major, such as keeping a car’s speed constant (when driving on a U.S. highway, I had problems keeping the accelerator constant, varying my speed too much). I’m a tad concerned about keeping the car straight and staying within the correct driving lane. I have a little fear of passing another vehicle, since it looks kind of tough to me, but I never tried it.[/QUOTE]

I shall address your fears TMK:

Merging) Just get up to speed and you'll be able to get over. The rookie mistake is to stop at the end of the entrance ramp and wait for a big gap in traffic to get over onto the highway. They give you a merge area for a reason and it's not that bad.

Parallel Parking) Yeah this is a bitch but you rarely have to do it in real life. And yes the only way to learn how to do it is by trying it yourself. Go to a parking lot, measure out the distance of your state's test and set up some cones with brooms or whatever in them so you you can see them easily in your car mirrors. Then practice.

Snow/Ice) Just drive slower. Sounds like you live where it snows a fair bit so that should mean the roads are treated and cleared fairly quickly at least. :shrug:

Parking lots) Yeah backing up can be tricky/lead to an accident. I also park far enough way that I can pull through unless the lot is so packed that's not an option.

Braking) Just drive a bit and this shouldn't be a problem. As far as avoiding rear ending somebody, just leave enough room.

It sounds like you've barely driven at all. You need to practice as much as you can.
 
I got my license when I was 16. Driving is easy (for me). I live in Southern California where it can get hectic on the roadways.

Although I shouldn't, I often text/web browse/game(usually RPGs) while driving. lol.
 
[quote name='MarkMan']I got my license when I was 16. Driving is easy (for me). I live in Southern California where it can get hectic on the roadways.

Although I shouldn't, I often text/web browse/game(usually RPGs) while driving. lol.[/quote]

Wow, that is pretty hardcore... and dangerous. :lol:
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Yeah, I know and understand the feeling. I don't really enjoy driving myself, but I absolutely must do it if I'm going to get anywhere in life. I really want to visit some theme parks, but cannot until I get a license. One good thing about me getting one is that I'll be willing to organize events for CAG (like a theme park get together, but that's being worked on).

Some driving fears I have are (This is something I took the time to write elsewhere before):
Merging on highway is my first fear. I live in a city where the highway is the main way to get places. In many towns I go to, there’s only one entrance ramp and one exit ramp. Where I live, there’s two exit ramps and two entrance ramps; therefore, you have to merge onto the highway kind of quickly since there are cars wanting to merge to the exit, while your trying to merge onto the highway in a short distance. At times, it doesn’t appear to be bad. Sometimes, there’s tons of traffic and semi-trucks everywhere can’t merge over, so just how will I merge onto a highway? As a little sub-point here, I do feel a little uneasy being next to a semi-truck in a car, since I sometimes fear the semi-truck will smash into the car if it turns left/right (if there’s a lot of wind, it sometimes feels like a semi is pushing into me.

Parallel parking is my second fear. I have watched many TV shows and cartoons in my lifetime about the horrors of paralleling parking. I still think about that episode of Doug when his sister Judy couldn’t parallel park. I know for sure that I’d be required to parallel park if I took a driver’s test, and I barely know how to do it. I’ve read books, watched videos, read online, etc. and it seems complicated. Maybe it’s something I need to try myself. Due to living around a college campus, I constantly see students try to parallel park, and what happens is that they bump into a tree. That makes me feel even more uneasy about parallel parking. Parallel parking is very important to learn since that will give me confidence to pass the driver’s test, and I'll probably have to do it often.

Driving on snow and ice is my third fear. Due to living in Indiana, it snows every year. You’d think people in Indiana would know how to drive in snow, but that’s not always the case. When a snowstorm hits or there’s ice, I’ll hear reports of several accidents on the news. I’ve seen several people on the road that couldn’t stop their car on ice; therefore, they bumped into the person in front of them. Although my family tells me to keep my distance, I still have a fear it would happen to me. Oh course, I’ve seen a few cars turn the wheel too sharply, causing them to go into a skid. I actually forgot how to get myself out of a skid. Part of the reason I want to move somewhere warm when I finish college, so I don’t have to drive in snow. If it snows, most people will have very little experience driving in snow like me.

Being stuck behind two big vehicles in parking lot is my fourth biggest fear. There’s no denying, it will happen for sure. Around 75% of the time when I’m with my Mom, a big sports utility vehicle, van, truck, etc. parks next to my Mom on both sides. When that happens, it’s near impossible to see when backing up. Although they say drive slowly, which I’d do, I’m more so worried about pulling out a good distance, so I don’t run into the cars behind me or hit either big vehicle next to me. I plan to park out far and pull through, so I can see easier (doesn’t bother me since I love to walk), but I’ll probably end up somewhere with limited parking spaces one day or another.

Applying the brakes smoothly and correctly is my fifth biggest fear. This really isn’t much of a fear, I do worry about it sometimes. When practicing driving before, I had a little trouble pushing the brake a little rough, causing a sudden stop. I want to brake smoothly, but I’ve had some difficulty doing that. Another reason I bring up braking is that I’ve seen people stop suddenly on the road, where one person might have been 1 second too slow; therefore, that person bumped into the person in front of him. I really want to work hard to avoid that.

I have other little concerns too, but they aren’t major, such as keeping a car’s speed constant (when driving on a U.S. highway, I had problems keeping the accelerator constant, varying my speed too much). I’m a tad concerned about keeping the car straight and staying within the correct driving lane. I have a little fear of passing another vehicle, since it looks kind of tough to me, but I never tried it.[/quote]

Dude you worry about shit WAY too much. You make it seem like driving is harder then it actually is. If you ever want to get anywhere in fucking life you need to learn how to drive. Get some fucking balls and get over your fear, it's that simple. I'm really shocked at most people that still don't have their license here, I mean wtf is up with people these days? Just think one day you will finally go out on a date with a girl, and she'll say pick me up at 7:00 and you'll reply: I don't have a license. Guess what? That date ended before it even began. She sure isn't going to be impressed if you say "Come back to my place baby and look at my Wii!"
 
Well, I'm not too suprised. TMK also said Devil May Cry 4 on Human was hard for him as was Ninja Dog for Ninja Gaiden... :shrugs:

Some people just can't do things that require reflexes...
 
[quote name='MarkMan']Well, I'm not too suprised. TMK also said Devil May Cry 4 on Human was hard for him as was Ninja Dog for Ninja Gaiden... :shrugs:

Some people just can't do things that require reflexes...[/quote]


:shock:

Wow, now that is indeed sad....
 
[quote name='Dark Slayer120']Dude you worry about shit WAY too much. You make it seem like driving is harder then it actually is. If you ever want to get anywhere in fucking life you need to learn how to drive. Get some fucking balls and get over your fear, it's that simple. I'm really shocked at most people that still don't have their license here, I mean wtf is up with people these days? Just think one day you will finally go out on a date with a girl, and she'll say pick me up at 7:00 and you'll reply: I don't have a license. Guess what? That date ended before it even began. She sure isn't going to be impressed if you say "Come back to my place baby and look at my Wii!"[/quote]


Well, I only partially agree. I have some of the same fears as TMK (merging in particular), but not many of them (like parallel parking). As I see it, getting over the fear of being in any accident, fine. But the fear of getting rear-ended by a big-ass truck going 80 on the highway, and not having medical examiners being able to identify you because its hard to get your remains since they're distributed across the next 3 counties? Not so easy.

And I'm pretty sure we can get somewhere without a license. When I cure cancer from my basement, I'll let you know ;) .
 
[quote name='joshythegreat18']Well, I only partially agree. I have some of the same fears as TMK (merging in particular), but not many of them (like parallel parking). As I see it, getting over the fear of being in any accident, fine. But the fear of getting rear-ended by a big-ass truck going 80 on the highway, and not having medical examiners being able to identify you because its hard to get your remains since they're distributed across the next 3 counties? Not so easy.

And I'm pretty sure we can get somewhere without a license. When I cure cancer from my basement, I'll let you know ;) .[/quote]


Then get in the slower lane.
 
[quote name='wubb']I shall address your fears TMK:

Merging) Just get up to speed and you'll be able to get over. The rookie mistake is to stop at the end of the entrance ramp and wait for a big gap in traffic to get over onto the highway. They give you a merge area for a reason and it's not that bad.

Parallel Parking) Yeah this is a bitch but you rarely have to do it in real life. And yes the only way to learn how to do it is by trying it yourself. Go to a parking lot, measure out the distance of your state's test and set up some cones with brooms or whatever in them so you you can see them easily in your car mirrors. Then practice.

Snow/Ice) Just drive slower. Sounds like you live where it snows a fair bit so that should mean the roads are treated and cleared fairly quickly at least. :shrug:

Parking lots) Yeah backing up can be tricky/lead to an accident. I also park far enough way that I can pull through unless the lot is so packed that's not an option.

Braking) Just drive a bit and this shouldn't be a problem. As far as avoiding rear ending somebody, just leave enough room.

It sounds like you've barely driven at all. You need to practice as much as you can.[/QUOTE]A lot of that was written when I barely drove. I've driven more now, but the last time I drove was October 2007.

[quote name='joshythegreat18']Well, I only partially agree. I have some of the same fears as TMK (merging in particular), but not many of them (like parallel parking). As I see it, getting over the fear of being in any accident, fine. But the fear of getting rear-ended by a big-ass truck going 80 on the highway, and not having medical examiners being able to identify you because its hard to get your remains since they're distributed across the next 3 counties? Not so easy.

And I'm pretty sure we can get somewhere without a license. When I cure cancer from my basement, I'll let you know ;) .[/QUOTE]Well, the reason I have a fear of parallel parking is because I see how tight some of the spots are, and I'm too concerned about bumping another car, causing my insurance rates to go up, and having to pay it. Despite practice driving numerous times around the neighborhood and a few times around a nearby street, I still have a lot of difficulty judging the length of the car.

My fear of an accident went up greatly after being in one, and I had a very close call of being hurt even worse. That is why I get all jumpy in a vehicle when there's a semi-truck right now to me and it kind of sways to me. I actually experienced a semi-truck crush a car in front of Wal-Mart one day from the side.

[quote name='MarkMan']Well, I'm not too suprised. TMK also said Devil May Cry 4 on Human was hard for him as was Ninja Dog for Ninja Gaiden... :shrugs:

Some people just can't do things that require reflexes...[/QUOTE]I'm actually solid at fighters and good at DDR, just that I'm no action gamer (that's a different story). I do have a college degree in a pretty difficult major, awesome with Physics, Chemistry, Math, Computer Programming, etc. Some people just have different specialities. I'm a terrible driver, but can do Physics better than most.

[quote name='Dark Slayer120']Dude you worry about shit WAY too much. You make it seem like driving is harder then it actually is. If you ever want to get anywhere in fucking life you need to learn how to drive. Get some fucking balls and get over your fear, it's that simple. I'm really shocked at most people that still don't have their license here, I mean wtf is up with people these days? Just think one day you will finally go out on a date with a girl, and she'll say pick me up at 7:00 and you'll reply: I don't have a license. Guess what? That date ended before it even began. She sure isn't going to be impressed if you say "Come back to my place baby and look at my Wii!"[/QUOTE]The very first time I drove on a U.S. highway, I had difficulties controlling the speed of the car where I quickly fell behind and my speed wasn't staying constant (it was 40mph and 55mph, kept going all over the place) and I had difficulty keeping the car straight, so I quickly pulled off the side and had another family member drive. Later on I took another chance and drove on a street outside my neighborhood. I started off good. I made a right turn at an intersection and a car was right behind me riding my bumper. The thing is, this guy was WAY behind me and out of no where, he's behind me. In an area where the speed limit is 40mph, I was trying to drive that, but the guy was forcing me to go almost 50mph and still riding my bumper. I ended up taking a very sharp turn into the first neighborhood I saw slightly hitting the curb, in order to avoid him. I only increased my speed since I was afraid he was going to hit me. I also have problems slowing down too much when taking a turn. If I don't slow down, I take a turn way too fast.

Well, I do tell girls I don't have a license, and they don't have a problem with it.

But let's just say driving just doesn't come as easy for me as it does for some.

The only thing I'm good at is parking in perpendicular spots.

I probably have driving anxiety:
http://www.squidoo.com/Driving_Anxiety

EDIT: I'll admit, there's probably a higher chance I'll fail the vision test than me failing the actual driving test (since I almost did fail the vision test the last time I got my permit).

To also admit, I never had driving lessons w/ a Professional.
 
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