USA Drivers licences

[moomin]

Arrian: Except in Texas, that is. The hicks take their half of the road out in the middle, so you'd better stick as far to the right as you can without mowing grass... not exactly the glory lane, is it?

[The Mad Monk]

Cali, do they drive on the right side of the road in NZ, or the UK side?

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
Cali, do they drive on the right side of the road in NZ, or the UK side?

In NZ we drive on the left, same as in the UK.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
U-turns aren't legal in every state, MrFun. In some states you can pass on a double yellow, in others you cannot pass when there's a solid yellow.

tandeetaylor's taxing scenario is a insane. You can't be taxed for another government's program. However, to replace taxes for the loss of the DL, they could institute a road tax, all residents have to pay for the maintence and upkeep of their road system.

Um, cool -- so where did I comment on U-turns, anyway??

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Ive always thought its crazy that each state has its own drivers license and road rules. In most cases, if you move to another state, you can exchange your old drivers license for one from that state, but in some cases they require you to do you drivers tests all over again. For example, if I move from New York to New Jersey I will have to take tests before they will give me a licence, even though I have a New York licence already.

Will the USA ever get a national licence and make all their road rules the same? I think it would be a good idea.

never. states rights. federalism. 10th amendment. tada.

[CyberGnu]

Oh, that thing they make you take with the questions is a test? I thought it was some kind of comedy routine to loosen things up before the actual test...

'When overtaking a slower vehicle you should:
A Assume that the slower vehicle with slow down to alleviat your passing
B Assume that the slower vehicle with speed up to keep his place in the lane
C Not assume anything'

Actual question...

Then again, maybe the obejct of the test is to see if you can read english... Not a bad idea here in California

[Wraith]

--"Will the USA ever get a national licence and make all their road rules the same?"

We've almost got a national-but-don't-call-it-that license. All the state databases are being hooked together. Hello Mr. National ID Card.

Personally, I think it's a really bad idea. The whole idea of needing your papers just to move around freely (even without a car... try leaving your license in your car for a week and see how much fun you can have) is pretty disturbing.

--"Some states have different driving rules than others, dont you think thats dangerous and confusing?"

For the most part, it's not a big deal. So the sign says 70 instead of 75. So what? This isn't confusing, unless you're stupid enough that you shouldn't be driving anyway. Other things, like flagging things sticking so-and-so inches out the back, aren't exactly rocket science either.

--"like making the feds compensate each state for the loss of revenue"

They've done this sort of thing before. Funding for the highway system, for instance, is basically state money sent to the feds and sent back to the states. Only problem there is the "processing fee" the feds take...

--"Traffic island right-of-way rules."

There aren't many traffic islands in the US...

--"First pendant to complain that DC is not a state gets shot."

But it isn't...

Wraith
I can't help thinking that the world would be a better place if everyone would listen to me

[Adam Smith]

Wraith:

Without a national database, how would you propose to address the problem of people losing their licenses in one state, and getting a new license in a different state a short time later? This is an especially serious problem for independent truck drivers and people with DWI problems.

*Grabs gun and takes a pot shot at Wraith for dragging DC statehood into the debate*

[Wraith]

--"how would you propose to address the problem of people losing their licenses in one state, and getting a new license in a different state a short time later?"

By making the driving tests meaningful. If they lose their license so often they resort to that sort of thing, how'd they manage to get on in the first place?

As far as DWI goes, that's a criminal offense. You don't need to link the drivers license databases to keep track of those between states, especially not with a de-facto national ID number (Social Security) already in place.

--"*Grabs gun and takes a pot shot at Wraith for dragging DC statehood into the debate*"

Hah. I laugh at your petty threats. What would happen to the story we've developed up till now if I died? The Great Will of the Macrocosm would never let that happen.

Wraith
End rush hour traffic now! Legalize vehicular weaponry

[axi]

One point that I don't get about your 100% American conversation is the thing about right turn on red lights.

In Europe, this is 100% out of the question. Right turn is only allowed on green and on yellow, although blinking yellow means proceed with caution, as if there were no traffic lights.

As for traffic islands, unless there are traffic lights or stop signs, the ones entering the roundabout have priority (since they come from the right).

And yes I think you should have a national license and make your tests more difficult. Also I think you should take tests in cars with manual gears and get tested on your ability to park your car along a sidewalk, in a space twice the length of your car, without climbing a wheel on the sidewalk and with 4 moves max. This is how we get our licences here.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by axi
One point that I don't get about your 100% American conversation is the thing about right turn on red lights.

In Europe, this is 100% out of the question. Right turn is only allowed on green and on yellow, although blinking yellow means proceed with caution, as if there were no traffic lights.

In some place in the US you can make a right turn at a red light if nobody is coming. You still have to yield if they are.

As for traffic islands, unless there are traffic lights or stop signs, the ones entering the roundabout have priority (since they come from the right).

Correct me if Im wrong, but I think there is a difference between rules for traffic islands in the UK and europe. In the UK those on the roundabout always have the right of way, and in europe those entering always have the right of way.

[Arrian]

Axi,

Why force a test in a manual gearshift car? Most people here drive automatics and always will. I could drive a manual if I had too (I know how, and have before), but I chose to buy an automatic, and probably always will. Why make people learn manual?

Right-on-red makes sense in the less congested areas. It helps move traffic along with minimal risk. In high-traffic areas, or intersections with limited visibility to your left (on coming traffic), there will be restrictions on it.

-Arrian

[drake]

Those in the rotary should always have right of way. They would be useless without otherwise Cal.

The idea of a rotary is to keep the roads entering with heaviest traffic moving and the roads with less traffic stopped. I personally like the rotary alot. Think it regulates traffic really well when people follow the rules. It doesnt work particularly well when you get a moron who pulls out in front of someone already in the rotary!

Axi, while learning to drive a manual transmission is a very useful skill, most cars in US are automatics. Its definetly not an essential skill. And as far as the parallel park, most states do have something comparable to what you described. A 2 car length hole to park in actually sounds incredibly easy.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by drake
Those in the rotary should always have right of way. They would be useless without otherwise Cal.

The idea of a rotary is to keep the roads entering with heaviest traffic moving and the roads with less traffic stopped. I personally like the rotary alot. Think it regulates traffic really well when people follow the rules. It doesnt work particularly well when you get a moron who pulls out in front of someone already in the rotary!

I agree, but I remember in Holland the rules state that the car entering has the right of way.

[drake]

So a guy is cruising around the rotary with 10 people in a row behind him. He seems another car coming up from a road in front of him. He has to yield and stop him and all 10 cars behind him for that one car?

If so, I think they need their head examined.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by drake
So a guy is cruising around the rotary with 10 people in a row behind him. He seems another car coming up from a road in front of him. He has to yield and stop him and all 10 cars behind him for that one car?

If so, I think they need their head examined.

Yep! Crazy eh?

[ZoboZeWarrior]

Compared to french drive test, americans one (I seen test in Boston & New York) are more easy.

Since, french drivers are really lunatics ...

[Caligastia]

When I was in Paris a few weeks ago I noticed that most cars, even new ones have at least a couple of dents in them.

Bloody french drivers

[Rogan Josh]

I am surprised by this discussion. I thought the US was more integrated than Europe, but there is no problem with licences here. I have a UK licence and I have lived in Germany, France and Switzerland (not even EU) and driven using my UK licence with no problems.

Arrian: in the UK at least you can sit your test with an Automatic car, but then you are only licenced to drive automatics and are not allowed to drive a manual (stickshift?).

As for the quality of driving, I have generally found the driving in the US to be quite good. I think this is because people seem less egotistical in cars (lack of a manual gear perhaps?). They seem to drive quite placidly at not much above the speed limit and everything goes smoothly (at least in my experience).

By contrast, although the European tests are (supposedly) quite hard, poeple seem to forget everything that they have learned as soon as it is over. The French are an absolute nightmare on the roads. They drive so close to your behind that you know that they will hit you if you have to break.

The Germans aren't much better, and there things are made worse by having autoroutes (freeways) with no speed limit at all. Some of these only have two lanes, with crawling trucks on one lane and on the other you have cars doing 150mph+.

Driving on US roads is paradise by comparison.

[Caligastia]

Americans are horrible tailgaters IMO

[Arrian]

Driving on US roads is paradise by comparison.

Man, it must be god-awful over there, because the only time I consider driving over here to be paradise is when traffic is really light, and I pretty much have an open road in front of me. Living in CT, that doesn't often happen.

Perhaps we don't have many ego maniacs with sporty little stickshifts, but we have PLENTY of soccer moms driving Lincoln Navigators (there is simply NO justification whatsoever for that vehicle) while on their cell phones and putting on lipstick. I'd rather have the maniacs, frankly.

-Arrian

[moomin]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Correct me if Im wrong,

I'll be happy to. You're wrong.

but I think there is a difference between rules for traffic islands in the UK and europe. In the UK those on the roundabout always have the right of way, and in europe those entering always have the right of way.

That's most certainly not true in Scandinavia, Germany, France or Spain - all countries I've been driving in. It might be true in Holland, where you claim you've seen it, but I think we'll let some of our Dutch friends confirm that before we believe it. The talk of it being the rule in all of Europe is hogwash, of course.

[drake]

Perhaps we don't have many ego maniacs with sporty little stickshifts, but we have PLENTY of soccer moms driving Lincoln Navigators (there is simply NO justification whatsoever for that vehicle) while on their cell phones and putting on lipstick. I'd rather have the maniacs, frankly.

Yes I always get a kick out of these supposedly sophisticated wealthy soccer moms driving around big huge, boxy clunky tanks that get 5 miles per gallon. If they only realized how ridiculous they look

The Suv trend is so silly. All these commercials of these vehicles climbing up mountains and ****, and you know that 95% of people that buy them wont drive an inch off the pavement.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Caligastia
Americans are horrible tailgaters IMO

Tap on your brakes. That's the way we tell each other to back off.

[ZoboZeWarrior]

Originally posted by Rogan Josh
The French are an absolute nightmare on the roads. They drive so close to your behind that you know that they will hit you if you have to break.

It just because you are driving too slow ...
I don't like that either. When a guy is driving to close to my rear, I just break hardly in order to show him it is dangereous.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by drake
The Suv trend is so silly. All these commercials of these vehicles climbing up mountains and ****, and you know that 95% of people that buy them wont drive an inch off the pavement.

In NYC we need them because the roads are so bad.

[moomin]

Originally posted by ZoboZeWarrior
When a guy is driving to close to my rear, I just break hardly in order to show him it is dangereous.

Which, gentlemen, is why French cars suck. What'd be the point of making them any good in a country where people drive like that anyway?

[drake]

People that slam on their brakes in front of people they think are tailing too close are much bigger morons than the tailgaters themself. A tailgater isn't inherently dangerous. Annoying perhaps, but not necessarily a danger.

[drake]

In NYC we need them because the roads are so bad.

Oh please Cal, talking about bad roads...two words, Big Dig.

[Caligastia]

Big Dig?