posted
A 16-year-old boy apparently had a seizure during his driving test, causing him to hit five vehicles, flip his Jeep and wreck the front of a store.
posted
When the kid came to, his first words were, "so, did I, like, um, pass?"
I know, I know:
The real question is, how did he do on parallel parking? Usually if you nail that, you're home free. Why that's such a big component of your driving test I have never understood. Parallel parking comprises, what, maybe 1% of your driving? And how many people are killed each year in parallel parking accidents? I parallel park maybe once every few months. I hate it so much, I usually just try to find a regular space somewhere else.
Sorry, that's like the third time tonight I've gone off on a tangent.
-------------------- Your ultimate source of superfluous flummery. Posts: 595 | From: South Carolina | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Parallel parking is not tested anymore in california, dont know acout mich.
Posts: 336 | From: Currently: Jakarta Indonesia Australia Belgium Berkeley CA > Lima Peru< | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I was never tested on parallel parking in Tennessee. This was as far back as 1999/2000. I don't think I've ever known anyone that *was* tested on parallel parking.
posted
We don't have it in Louisiana, either. There are so few places to actually parallel park, I can't tell you the last time I did.
Passing the drivers' test here basically consists of keeping the car within the lines, and not hitting other cars. At least, that's how they must have graded my daughter. We expected the examiner to be driving the car when they came baqck to DMV. Seriously.
-------------------- Fundamentally Unfundie since 1975 Posts: 7942 | From: Louisiana | Registered: Jun 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
You have to learn three manoeuvres here (turni n the road, reverse round a corner and reverse park) any two of which you may be tested on. I've taken three driving tests and thank GOD I've never been asked to reverse park on any of them *phew*
-------------------- Silence should never under any circumstances be construed as agreement. A lot of the time, it's simply a reflection that someone just said something so stupid that no response could possibly do it justice. - Ramblin' Dave Posts: 8528 | From: Nottingham, England | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
In my neighborhood, not only do you have to parallel park, you have to be speedy at it. There isn't much of any other kind.
Posts: 4811 | From: Austin, TX | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
In Ohio, there is a "maneuverability" test, seperate from the driving test (you can pass one or the other, or both, and if you fail one you can take just that one again).
Four cones are put near the corners of your car, and one a short distance in front of it. You need to pull forward to the left or right of the front cone (tester's choice), then reverse and pull back into the four cones.
I had about 15 minutes of "practice" for it during my required driver's training. The first time I took the test, I failed when I drove over the side of a cone (I feel I should have passed, since I didn't knock it over or out of the square, but whatever.) The second time, I miraculously did it without losing any points at all.
This maneuverability test, I'm told, somehow relates to parallell parking. Damned if I've ever figured out how to apply it to real cars, though.
Posts: 550 | From: Springboro, OH | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
On the story, it's very sad. I have an epileptic friend whose symptoms didn't manifest until about that age. Having something like that happen is very scary, especially so if the boy had never had seizures before.
On parallel parking. I was tested on it, asked to parallel park between imaginary cars (no cones). I apparently hit one of the cars in my examiner's imagination and failed my driving test on that basis and a few other mistakes (waiting too long at a 4 way stop when it was my turn, etc.) caused by nerves rather than anything else. The second time I took the test, I still failed parallel parking in between imaginary cars (to this day I have no idea how I was supposed to know where the cars were) but I passed the test.
Avril
-------------------- There is no failure unless one stops. --Ray Bradbury Posts: 2115 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Aug 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I had to parallel park for my test in Georgia. My mother drove me to the testing center the evening before the test so I could practice. I was in a tiny little Toyota Tercel, which helped.
I promptly forgot how to parallel park after the test until I rented an apartment in Macon's historical district. You had a choice of parallel parking on the well-lit street in front or the dark unpaved "parking pit", as we called it, in back. I quickly relearned how to parallel park with a lot more efficiency.
I haven't really had to do much of that since then.
-------------------- So many books, so little time. Posts: 1192 | From: McDonough, Georgia | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I took my test in NJ about 12 or so years ago, we were tested on parellel parking, K-turn, and parking on a hill.
I failed the first time because I couldn't parallel park. Practiced again and passed even though I was rolling through the spops signs. The DMV tester just told me to remember to stop at them when on the road.
By the way where I took my test their is an actual testing area and it is not done on the roads.
Posts: 106 | From: Mesa, AZ | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
My test was awesome! I had to parallel park in my test, but I sort of got out of it. He asked if I'd stop somewhere so he could pick up his photos(seriously!), to which I said yes, thinking I could score brownie points.
I did good until I went a bit up on the curb. I quickly corrected and he went to get his photos. The rest of the drive revolved around discussing his pet squirrel(again, seriously!). I even nearly missed a stop-sign(I honestly didn't see it, and I had never driven in that part of town before), but he pointed it out and I safely stopped. He mentioned it almost casually, amid describing his squirrel, naturally.
In the end, I only lost points on the parallel-parking maneuver and it wasn't even as many points as I was supposed to lose. Awesome!
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
I failed parallel parking on my test, but then as we drove through an adjoining neighborhood, a kid on a bike shot out in front of us. I jammed on the brakes, and I believe my examiner simply crossed off all the other points on the list, as I was instructed to just drive back to the DMV.
-------------------- Fundamentally Unfundie since 1975 Posts: 7942 | From: Louisiana | Registered: Jun 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I got my license (March 1992, Danbury, CT) this was the deal:
At that time, for whatever reason, parallel parking was "known" to not be required in the driving tests. And, only a small percentage would be asked to do a 3pt turn.
Well, anyway, we had barely gotten *any* snow that whole winter. So I had been practicing on dry/snow free roads. I had really no experience driving in it...
36 hours *before* my scheduled test we got DUMPED on with snow. School the day before my test was cancelled. I went to the DMV and did fine on everything in the test until I got asked to do a 3point turn.
Because the roads were more "narrow" from all the newly made snowbanks I couldn't get the car quite turned around and had to go back/forward an extra time. But I *didn't* hit the snowbank
But I passed! *Whew*
ETA: BTW- I *still* can't parallel park Kathryn
-------------------- Keeper of the American Idol Pool 2006
posted
I failed my first time taking the driving test. I to this day beleive the examiner was having some personal problems and were taking them out on the people being tested that day. First she failed the 5 or 6 people before me that monring while I was waiting. I was first mark off for not making a proper lane change when moving over in the same lane to avoid cars parked along side of the road. The one that failed me was as she claimed almost causing a accedent. I just got done with a perfect parallel parking between real cars then went to pull out. As I was pulling back out into traffic she yelled stop, but I keep going because the front of my car was now out in the traffic and I did not want to get hit by the next car coming down the road. After I got back I found out about the accedent I almost caused. When I was pulling out after parallel parking between the 2 cars, she thought I was going to hit the parked car infront of me. When she yelled stop my front end was already going a passed the car and I was committed to enterning traffic.
Two weeks latter at the other end of town I stopped in to see if I could take the test again. They were not busy so I took the driving test without a wait and was done and passed in about 15 min. The only thing I missed was not stopping for the unmarked crosswalk at a uncontroled intersection. In washington state you are suppose to assume there is a crosswalk at every intersection and stop for it.
Posts: 597 | From: Bellingham, WA | Registered: Nov 2005
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[fish]](graemlins/fish.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[lol]](graemlins/lol.gif)
