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The new and stupider written driver's exam
By adamg on Thu, 03/05/2009 - 8:39pm
Bobby Constantino accompanied a young guy to the Registry for his written exam today:
... After a few minutes, he came out from the testing room shaking his head. "Yo, Bobby man, I can't believe they just did that man. They just asked me what kinds of cars you can drive with a Class A license, which I am not applying for, a Class B license, which I am not applying for, a Class C license, which I am not applying for, the registration period for a motorcycle, which I am not applying for, and all kinds of other crazy questions that we didn't even go over. They didn't have any of the stuff about intersections, parking, passing, changing lanes or nothing like that, man. That was just a setup so they could take our money. For real." ...
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Comments
Obligatory MA Epic Test Fail Post
http://www.gmacinsurance.com/SafeDriving/2008/Pres...
Anti-Boston bias!
That test was unfairly biased against Boston drivers!
It probably asked questions like, "What does it mean when the light changes to red?" and "When is a turn signal used?"
I regularly see drivers get themselves into a deadlock at a residential 4-way stop. The guy to the right was at the intersection first, but even if he knows he has the right of way, he just doesn't know that the guy to the left knows that and is paying attention. So they all sit there in subtle silent negotiation or bewilderment until chaos theory says one of them can go.
If you are a pedestrian in this situation, you either delay approaching the intersection until they resolve the matter amongst themselves, or you march ahead and resolve it for them, if nobody pulls into the intersection before you step into it.
I'm reminded of the joke of the driver running red lights, freaking out his passenger, "That was a red light!," and responding each time, "It's OK. My brother does it all the time." Then suddenly a green light, and the driver slams on the brakes for an emergency stop. After they squeal to a stop, the passenger shouts, "That was a green light!" "Yeah, my brother might have been coming the other way!"
Four-way stops
Oh, yeah! Probably a legacy of the fact that they're relatively new to Massachusetts.
Still, I've noticed that people at the Big Intersection in the Middle of Nowhere in Stony Brook Reservation follow the basic "first in, first out" rule, whereas people at the Double Four-Way Stops (would that be an eight-way stop?) over the Mother Brook at the Dedham Mall seem to follow the basic Masshole rule (i.e., first Masshole in, first Masshole out, regardless of whether somebody else was already there).
and another joke from another region
Sorry I was late; I was stuck at a 4-way stop with three other Minnesotans. "You go ahead -- no, no, you go ahead, I insist..."
Wrong answer on the pedestrian
The proper choice is for the pedestrian to cross behind the vehicle. It's the only safe option.
Depends on the scenario. If
Depends on the scenario. If you're walking parallel to one of the two cars, either leftmost or rightmost in the configuration, then crossing behind a vehicle before either moves is not on your way.
I try to get the cars to go first, since that's usually faster for everyone, which means slowing my approach to the corner. But sometimes you're there and the drivers are even more confused now that a pedestrian is in the mix (and Boston pedestrians can be as crazy as the Boston drivers), at which point you just gotta march on through. Then both cars see the pedestrian has claimed the intersection, and the car parallel to you goes immediately. Everybody gets where they're going sooner.
I'm thinking of particular intersections. I'd be less confident of the dynamics at unfamiliar intersections.
On crossing behind cars
I do this frequently on small streets, but this is relatively more dangerous than crossing in the crosswalk, especially when there are other cars in play.
There is a variation on walking behind cars, especially useful when the car is partially or fully obscuring the crosswalk already. Walk diagonally straight *at* the rear side of the car, and they will usually move before you have to circle behind them. If they are paying attention, you probably don't have to leave the crosswalk.
Sorry, but knowing all the
Sorry, but knowing all the rules and regulations is part of the test.
And simply, the test is a joke if you bothered to put 30 min into reading and memorizing the booklet.
hell, there's a year up kid at my work that's failed it 4 times, and is bitching because they're asking questions about BAC. Sorry sweetie, but I don't want you behind the wheel if you can't take the time to read the damn booklet and at least memorize it.