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From: lee@unmvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Learning to drive...well
Message-ID: <725@unmvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 04:55:42 EST
Article-I.D.: unmvax.725
Posted: Thu Mar  7 04:55:42 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 07:00:16 EST
References: <76@mit-athena.UUCP> <274@scgvaxd.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lines: 40

> see on the roads, but then one considers that you can miss up to 20% of the
> questions and STILL get a drivers license (and miss a few points on the
> driving test to boot...) then it becomes painfully obvious that there are a
> lot of people out there who don't know what to do in all driving situations.
> Why people are allowed to miss more than 1 question is beyond me (I'll give
> them one because there are bound to be some "tricky" questions).  

 Interesting... I recently let my license expire and went down to take
the tests again. For the automobile, I missed that "1" question. It was
a real beaut. "What is the maximum allowable height for a vehicle
in the state of New Mexico?" Lower than the lowest bridge? :-)

 Then came the interesting test. The motorcycle test. I have been
riding mine for 8 years pretty straight now. Only one accident
involving another vehicle. This was when a truck pulled out in
front of me from a blind alley. It was raining. Sliiiiiide... CRUNCH!
Anyway, I ended up missing a BUNCH of questions on that test. If
I had missed even one more I wouldn't have a cycle license now.
Every one of the questions involved some form of "in this situation
would you ride in the center of the lane, the left part of the lane or the
right?". It only took me a couple of misses to decide that to pass
the test you merely answered "center" every time. The rationale
(as explained by the machine) was that this gives one more options.
Just to be ornery I decided to answer those particular questions
in the same manner I ride. The answers were easy then, "where is
the farthest away from the potential hazard?" I can, honestly, think
of three times that if I had been following their rationale I would
be mangled, if not dead! I think, too, that a driving test (I didn't
have to take one) tells a bit more than these questions. Oh yeah,
I was planning to flunk that test. I really tried, believe me. I wanted
to take the state to court.

 To disagree with you on one thing; NOBODY knows what to do in ALL
driving situations. They may "know" what to do but remembering is
pretty hard when your staring down a BIG truck, apparently, intent
on removing you from the earth.


			--Lee (Ward)
		{ucbvax,gatech}!unmvax!lee