i'm feeling so depressed because i'm 18, and i still don't have a license (never have had a job, haven't sent any college applications yet....), and my permit expired today. to be honest, i never felt very motivated to get my license, because i never really have anywhere to go. everyone else my age was so excited about getting theirs, but i really didn't care. i just didn't get any excitement out of it.i didn't start driving alot till last year.....i didn't do so well in drivers ed. i was horrible in range.........i drive pretty well, but i can't parrallel park.

anyway, i went to get my drivers test two days ago, but i was so nervous, and i felt so depressed because my face was spasming, and the woman that worked at the DMV looked at me like i was nuts, and she just stared at me when my mom said i was 18 (i look more like 14), and that my permit expired this week.....i forgot my social security card anyway, so i couldn't take it, but now i never want to go back......and i'm afraid i'll be so nervous, i'll forget what to do.......my mom didn't get her drivers license 'till she was 21, but.............that was the '70's.

....and it's just a huge weight on my shoulders. but i'm not sure if i'm ready or not. i driven many times, and i've never gotten in an accident or anything, but i'm just not sure.......

I got mine when I was 17, and I've been driving for 24 years now!  :D

Well, originally I got my license when I turned 16 back in 2003, but due to an incident at my school that I was involved in, I lost them later that year. I didn't get them back until August of 2005.

1979.

I got mine eight months after my 16th birthday.

I got mine in 1986, I was 17.  I've been driving for 21 years...damn I feel old.

I took the test once and passed the first time.  My sister had to take the test 4 times before she passed, it wasn't because she was a bad driver, she just got too nervous and made small mistakes. 

Don't get discouraged, go back and take the test.  Good luck!!  :)

When I turned 16, I really had no desire to get my license.  All the kids in my class couldn't wait to get theirs so they could go racing through town, and drive all over.  I didn't want to be like that.  If I were to get a license, it would only be to get me from A to B.  10 years later, I got my G1, which will soon expire, so I need to get my G2

When I was 17. But...don't feel bad..my husband just got his about a year ago...and he's 29 years old!!! ;)

In early 2005, I was still 17 almost 18. I had my temporary for like 2 years before I actually went out and got my license.

I wonder .. what is the process for getting a D/L in the USA? 



It's a pain here in Ontario.  In the old and much simpler days (which I was eligible for), it was like this ...

♦ You took the written test to get a 365 (temporary license; A fully qualified driver must be in the passenger seat, and you cannot drive at night). 
♦ Then after a certain month period (12 I believe it was), you took the road test and if you passed, you were given a full license.  That's it! 


Sadly, due to the increasing number of teenagers getting into accidents, new rules came into effect ...

♦ G1 - You write the written test, which will give you a temporary license.
♦ G2 - After a period if 12 months with a G1 license, you can now take your road test.  With this license, you are free to drive solo, but must maintain a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of zero, and you are limited to the number of passengers you can have in your car
♦ G - After 1 year in possession of a G2 license, you must take another road test which will get you a full G license

It's ok. i'm 17 and I don't even have a learners permit yet. And the only experinces i've had driving is probably once or twice on a back dirt road.

I wonder .. what is the process for getting a D/L in the USA? 



It's a pain here in Ontario.  In the old and much simpler days (which I was eligible for), it was like this ...

♦ You took the written test to get a 365 (temporary license; A fully qualified driver must be in the passenger seat, and you cannot drive at night). 
♦ Then after a certain month period (12 I believe it was), you took the road test and if you passed, you were given a full license.  That's it! 

*
Sadly, due to the increasing number of teenagers getting into accidents, new rules came into effect ...

♦ G1 - You write the written test, which will give you a temporary license.
♦ G2 - After a period if 12 months with a G1 license, you can now take your road test.  With this license, you are free to drive solo, but must maintain a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of zero, and you are limited to the number of passengers you can have in your car
♦ G - After 1 year in possession of a G2 license, you must take another road test which will get you a full G license


In the state of Ohio, it's almost too easy. Basically if you are under 18 (which I was still when I got mine), you get a temporary license which you must hold for 6 months and you have to have your parents sign a paper that says you've had 50 hours of driving experience and 10 at night and you need a drivers education certificate, take the state test (laughingly easy) and you have a license. If you are 18 or older basically you get your temporary license and can take the state test immediately and you have an unlimited license if you pass.

*If you are only 16 you can only have one person that's not a family member in the car and can't drive between 12 am and 6 am.
*If you are 17 but under 18 you can't drive between 1 am and 5 am.

My parents had a rule that we couldn't get our license until we were 17-years-old. I think I got mine when I was 18, though.

Well, I got my driver's permit when I was 15.  I was excited at that point - but didn't get to practice much.

Then, I didn't get my license until I was almost 21.  I didn't have the wherewithal before then to afford to own a car/insurance/etc.; besides, living in the city coupled with attending a college I couldn't have a car at, the need just wasn't overwhelming.  When I got my license, part of it was just for the purposes of having ID.

So if the time isn't right, just wait a bit.  You'll know when it's time, and you'll be ready.  :)

I wonder .. what is the process for getting a D/L in the USA? 



It's a pain here in Ontario.  In the old and much simpler days (which I was eligible for), it was like this ...

♦ You took the written test to get a 365 (temporary license; A fully qualified driver must be in the passenger seat, and you cannot drive at night). 
♦ Then after a certain month period (12 I believe it was), you took the road test and if you passed, you were given a full license.  That's it! 


Sadly, due to the increasing number of teenagers getting into accidents, new rules came into effect ...

♦ G1 - You write the written test, which will give you a temporary license.
♦ G2 - After a period if 12 months with a G1 license, you can now take your road test.  With this license, you are free to drive solo, but must maintain a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of zero, and you are limited to the number of passengers you can have in your car
♦ G - After 1 year in possession of a G2 license, you must take another road test which will get you a full G license


For my permit, I took the written test; for my license I took the driving test. This was 13, 14 years ago, so I don't know if the rules have changed by now or not.

Driving Permit at 15 and the Real Thing at 16

First driving accident was soon after getting my permit and second accident was a month after getting my drivers license.

I got my permit at 17 and didn't get my license until I was 24. My mother had this rule that we couldn't get our license until we were 18. My last semester of high school, I got my permit and took driver's ed. Passed. I think my parents let me drive their car 1 time and then they said that they didn't have insurance for me and never let me drive their car again.  ::)  I got married at the age of 19. My first husband drove a stick which I could get learn on-I tried, but of course that could be because I didn't have a good teacher. I finally got a car that I really learn to drive on at the age of 24 and got my license the very first time I took the test.


Of course I haven't driven in about 5 years now because of my vision. So my driving days were very short.



Cat

I got my driver's license in 1990, when I was 23 years old. Mind you, to get a driver's license over here you must be 18 or over. Still, I felt pretty "old" with 23...It took me seven tries to finally get there, btw.

To get a driver's license over here, you must first pass a theoretical exam. It consists of a slide show of 40 slides, picturing various traffic situations with a question (to be answered "yes" or "no"). You take this test with a bunch of other candidates in a classroom. To pass the test, you must have a certain percentage of correct answers (not sure what the limit is nowadays... :-\\)
There are books available to prepare you for this test, and you can have as much practice as you want at a driving school near you (of course, this is gonna cost you...).

Only after you've passed the theoretical exam, you can have a go at the road exam. I suppose that's much the same around the world. As I understand it, you are also required to have some basic technical knowledge on your car nowadays...Not so when I was young!
Of course, you can take driving lessons before you've passed theoretical exam to prepare you for your road exam.

After successfully completing both exams, you get a driver's license. Until recently, you would have gotten a driver's license -  PERIOD. Nowadays, if you're under 23, you get a beginner's driver's license (BDL). If you have a BDL, and you get involved in crash, or you get a ticket for speeding, or any other kind of offense, you lose points on your BDL. If you've lost all of your points (I believe it's five), your BDL will be revoked.
Now if you're age 23 or over...you're completely safe. No BDL for you - you get the real deal straightaway.

i got my permit after taking the 'rules of the road' test in drivers ed at my school. then after your 16th birthday, you can get your license--but you must pass a drivers test first at a DMV. but if you wait too long and your permit expires, you have to re-take the 'rules' test, and do the driving test. i think i only got around a "c" on my rules test.....

Driver's permit at 15yrs, 8 months. I took driver's ed in summer school. I got my license the day after I turned 16. There weren't all the rules there are now for younger drivers - my license was the same as everyone elses.

When I was 17, I applied for a CDL (to drive buses for test purposes), but was rejected because you had to be 21 (or 18, can't remember) to hold a CDL.

At 18, I got my motorcycle permit. I failed the written test the first time, but the next day I passed it.

I had my license until October 2005, where it was supended for six months. I only applied and got it back last month.

Don't worry too much about not having your license yet; you'll get it when you need it. Parallel parking is not that hard, it just takes practice. I don't even consider it though: my GMC K1500 extended cab is about 20' long, so I park elsewhere and walk a bit more.

I did well in the classroom but got a C in the driving portion. My driving record is good now (at one time I was 13 in the hole), but still having 12 insurance points really stinks.

In VA, you must first pass a signs test with no mistakes or you automatically fail. The rules test is 25 questions, and as soon as you get 20 right, the computer automatically passes you.

Ant

In high school, I loved taking Driver's Ed. My teacher (the varsity football coach) made it so much fun and was a really cool guy. He was cool enough that when we took our driving tests, our minds (and nerves!) were at ease. The driving simulators were pretty fun too.  :)

i absolutely hated drivers ed. it was the only class i ever (almost) fell asleep in practically every day from boredom.

then when we practiced driving in the parking lot, i was stuck in a car with two cheerleaders, who were complete bitches.......

We never had Drivers Ed at my school.  First time I'd ever heard of something like that was in the movie 'Encino Man'.  I was like "Drivers Ed as a High School course?"  Where the hell is this? lol

Well...let's see...In NY State, when I was 16, back in 1957, the law was- you could get a JUNIOR License at 16 which was not valid in any city over 1 million population and not valid at night without a licensed driver over 18 years old with you.  I was going to a boarding school up in Worcester Mass, when I TURNED 16, and I was in for Christmas vacation.  My Dad scheduled my road test for me. Though we lived in Far Rockaway Queens, he could only get a drivers test for me at a lower Manhattan testing area near the Fulton Fish Market...with all the trucks...and people walking in the streets...and cars double-parked..And I had been driving a stick shift Nash Rambler with a huge turning circle 'cause it had no wheel cut-outs for the front wheels.  On top of all this...it was an absolutely frigid day...and in those days you took your written test just before you got into the car and took your road test.  Needless to say...I had two ball-point pens freeze up on me before I finished the written test.  Then we got into the car...the inspector, kindly, because it was sooo cold, asked my Dad to sit in the back seat...but not to say a word...because he really was not supposed to allow passengers.  Anyway...I took off... following the Inspector's instructions...stopping annd signaling and shifting and I parallel parked really smooth, went around a few double parked cars with all the proper signals and stuff...my shifting had never been smoother...(OH I could baby that clutch...Remember clutches, anyone??? ;).  Then, I think we were on Grand Street...a major truck route...and the guy asks me to make a U turn!!!   Oh, God!...what a place to ask me to make a U...Trucks coming from the left, trucks coming from behind, from in front...ugghhhh...but...I swung as wide as I could with that "farshtunkena" car...and I ALMOST made it around in one shot...BUT not quite.  The damned Rambler had such a huge turning circle that I couldn't quite make it in one shot.  Which meant...I had to back up into traffic...back up into a lane where trucks were barrelling down this hill I was on.   Now the inspector had never looked up during the whole test...up to this point...but when I started to back up into traffic...well he finally leaned back and looked over his shoulder...But...no problemo...I made it around and then pulled back into the long lane where I had started the test...what seemed like hours before...Of course it was probably only 10 or 15 minutes.  So...in those days...they not only didn't tell you if you passed tht road test...they didn't even tell you if you passed the written test.  So I flew back up to Worcester not knowing if I passed the test and got my Junior License.  Well...you know... of course I passed...but I was a snotty nosed kid back then, and very insecure...so I thought I probably failed.    I was really excited when my folks mailed my License up to me at school.     

Cute addendum to this story...I mentioned that, at that time, under 18 could not drive at night...alone.  Well, on my 18th birthday...at midnight, I went out to my Rambler, got in the car and drove over to Tommy OShae's Bar in Far Rockaway...had a beer, ONE beer.  Then I drove over to John OGarra's Saloon and had another beer...and then I drove home...having celebrated my 18th Birthaday in style... ;D  (In those days, you could drink at 18 in NY State.  You couldn't vote till you were 21, but you could drink alcoholic beverages...How times have changed...I'm not sure for the better.) :-\\

So...that is when and how I got my license  :D

BTW...When I was in high school, there were no "driver's ed" classes...at least not in Far Rockaway HS...in 1957.     

Which one?!

I got a Missouri license at 17. I got a UK license at 18 and for some backwards-ass reason, when I moved to Illinois in March I had to re-take the test and get an Illinois license.

I forgot to mention that I had the worse driver's ed teacher. He had a chronic cough and sounded like he was going to die in the passage's seat when you were behind the wheel. Then he were kind of wave his hand to tell you to slow down-this was really good since you were supposed to be watching the road and not his hands.  ::) Every day he would always have one of us stop by his Post Office so he could pick up his mail. Man, I hated it and I didn't really learn anything from him.




Cat

I did have a Provisional License for the purpose of learning to drive, but nothing materialised from it.

Driving Permit at 15 and the Real Thing at 16

First driving accident was soon after getting my permit and second accident was a month after getting my drivers license.


Heh!  I remember that!  ;)

I got mine when I was 21. I haven't actually owned a car or driven for 15 odd years now. I had an accident and lost my nerve basically and haven't driven since.  :-\\

I keep meaning to look for someone to give me some refresher lessons, but I can't afford to buy a car so at the moment there is no point.

Haven't gotten mine yet.

I got mine just three weeks ago!!

I waited until the age of 27 to pursue it. But the important thing is that I finally have it. :)

I need to get mine ASAP.  I work crazy hours, and it's way the hell outside of town, so by bus, it takes me 1½ hours to get there, and I have to get rides home from one of my co-workers. 

I got my 'provisional' at 17, but didn't actually pass a test (and thus gain a 'full' licence) until three years and two failed tests later...

I had to crack it the third time, it was costing me a bomb!  :D

I got my 'provisional' at 17, but didn't actually pass a test (and thus gain a 'full' licence) until three years and two failed tests later...

I had to crack it the third time, it was costing me a bomb!  :D


I failed the 'written' test the first time I took it, but thankfully passed two weeks later when I returned... :)

I need to get mine ASAP.  I work crazy hours, and it's way the hell outside of town, so by bus, it takes me 1½ hours to get there, and I have to get rides home from one of my co-workers. 


Yeah, that's what I've had to do just about all the time...get rides from family/friends, take public transportation. I still do that; I just don't drive a great deal.

I failed the 'written' test the first time I took it, but thankfully passed two weeks later when I returned... :)


Back in those days, we never had to take a 'written' part of the test (basicially, this part was in the form of a few questions at the end of the test itself), but that's changed and this written test (the 'theory') is now part of the test altogether...

Heaven help me if I had to take my test again!  :D

i think if i ever drive by myself, i will die. i know i will  :-\\. i'll be killed.

....i've been reading over the Rules of the Road book online, and i think i'm doomed  :-\\.

i don't know any of this stuff.....i'm so confused. all this stuff about right lanes and left lanes, and when to turn and not, and all these signals..... :-\\.

i have no idea how i passed the test the first time in drivers ed, because i had no idea what i was doing then either.

I got mine a year ago. I was 26.

....i've been reading over the Rules of the Road book online, and i think i'm doomed  :-\\.

i don't know any of this stuff.....i'm so confused. all this stuff about right lanes and left lanes, and when to turn and not, and all these signals..... :-\\.

i have no idea how i passed the test the first time in drivers ed, because i had no idea what i was doing then either.


You live in the U.S don't you?

You'll pass.. it's almost impossible to fail the test here.

And then the freak showed up.....

I got mine just 2 yrs ago.  I turned 38 yesterday.  Kids born after I graduated High School got their license before I did!  :-30yr old getting his Learner's Permit!  My best friend, girl friends, family all  accepted that "Troy doesn't drive".  Once, at 18, a friend put me behind the wheel.  I couldn't master the clutch, & it fed the problem.  Then at 27, my pregnant wife tried, but we had a stick & I had the same problem.  (almost induced labor with all that jerking around!)  I was married almost 9yrs before I finally got my father in-law to "teach" me.  I felt stupid once I actually got it.  It's so damn simple! 

Of course, now I have 9yrs worth of grocery shopping & running the kids around to make up for!  ;D

So don't fret, late bloomers!  It's never too late.  And it's really not difficult.  The worst part is being surronded by morons that shouldn't have a license to begin with!!  >:(

And then the freak showed up.....

I got mine just 2 yrs ago.  I turned 38 yesterday.  Kids born after I graduated High School got their license before I did!  :-30yr old getting his Learner's Permit!  My best friend, girl friends, family all  accepted that "Troy doesn't drive".  Once, at 18, a friend put me behind the wheel.  I couldn't master the clutch, & it fed the problem.   Then at 27, my pregnant wife tried, but we had a stick & I had the same problem.  (almost induced labor with all that jerking around!)  I was married almost 9yrs before I finally got my father in-law to "teach" me.  I felt stupid once I actually got it.  It's so damn simple! 

Of course, now I have 9yrs worth of grocery shopping & running the kids around to make up for!  ;D

So don't fret, late bloomers!  It's never too late.  And it's really not difficult.  The worst part is being surronded by morons that shouldn't have a license to begin with!!   >:(


Nice to see you back around, Fett! :)

I had that issue as well. I was scared to drive because my mom was in a nasty car accident and it kind of turned me off from driving. Then when I did try the first time, I failed. :P

Last year I took it in Indiana, driving a STICK shift, and I passed.

And I think Indiana has the worst drivers in the country. Good lord.

And I think Indiana has the worst drivers in the country. Good lord.


Possibly.

I'm a bad driver because I don't pay enough attention and get distracted easily (sort of like a dog actually) but in Indiana, they're bad.. 'cus they be's stoopid.

Possibly.

I'm a bad driver because I don't pay enough attention and get distracted easily (sort of like a dog actually) but in Indiana, they're bad.. 'cus they be's stoopid.


Should I be worried that half of these bad drivers went to Purdue or Notre Dame?

Should I be worried that half of these bad drivers went to Purdue or Notre Dame?


;D I love that, when you see somebody weaving along then get closer and see they graduated from some ivy league school.. and it's like "..and yet you can't even drive in a straight line?"

Nice to see you back around, Fett! :)

Last year I took it in Indiana, driving a STICK shift, and I passed.



Sure, rub it in!  ;D

Nice to be seen, Jessica!  Lotsa new faces, but at least a few familiar ones.

;D I love that, when you see somebody weaving along then get closer and see they graduated from some ivy league school.. and it's like "..and yet you can't even drive in a straight line?"

Well, that's because they're editing their third novel on their laptops and callling their brokers on their cell phones.  They're busy, important people.  Small fries like you and me know nothing about it!

Anyway, I finally got mine in '89.  Everybody worries about the instructor asking them to parallel park.  I didn't have that problem.  I got mine in Tamworth, NH.  There's nothing to parallel park against!
:D


I forgot to mention that I had the worse driver's ed teacher. He had a chronic cough and sounded like he was going to die in the passage's seat when you were behind the wheel. Then he were kind of wave his hand to tell you to slow down-this was really good since you were supposed to be watching the road and not his hands.  ::) Every day he would always have one of us stop by his Post Office so he could pick up his mail. Man, I hated it and I didn't really learn anything from him.



Yeesh!  Bad driving instructors, tell me about it.  Here's my ordeal:

I took the classroom portion at my H.S. in the winter of '86.  The instructor was retired Coach Calleghy, bleary-eyed irish drunk.  He said the first night that at the end there would be a written exam, but he didn't care what you got on it because he wasn't going to grade it.  So nobody paid attention in class or read the stupidass state driving manual.  In fact, I used to fall asleep.  The old Coach would stammer through a brief lecture consisting of "You people better know how to do this, and you people better not do that, and you people gotta know your responsibilities as licensed drivers."  Then he'd start the week's instructional film.  Remember those?  If you do, you'll understand why I nodded off in three minutes.  Exactly 10 minutes into each film, the projector cover would pop off and go clanging to the floor.  I'd wake with a start....and fall back asleep.  Yes, movie projector, it was that long ago.  The class before the exam, Coach was very cranky.  He said he was "fed up with you people skipping class and fed up with you people not paying attention," therefore he was going to grade the exam after all with a minimum passing grade of 80%.  Furthermore, it was going to be "the long exam."  Whatever that was.  I didn't show up for it; classroom driver ed wasn't required and it was on the taxpayers dime, what did I care?

I didn't go for my learner's permit until two years later.  I started the on-road course.  I sucked so bad that the instructor looked like a guy on a rollercoaster.  Every 200 yards he'd stand on that special driver's side brake and hollar at me.  I figured I'd never learn to drive if this Nervous Nellie wasn't going to let me drive.  The next summer I started practicing with my dad's old Jeep Cherokee.  It was a stick shift and very finnicky.  I crashed it into a stonewall once, but finally learned to drive well enough to pass the road exam.  I was very proud of myself passing the exam on that old stick shift Jeep because I thought I'd never learn at all!  Then I didn't have a car at all for three years when I inherited my mom's old Toyota Camry.  It was an automatic.  I've had automatics ever since.  I'd have to practice awhile to get used to a standard again.  It's awkward sometimes:
"I gotta stay here.  Can you run down to the store for me?"
"I don't have my car."
"That's OK, just take my truck."
"Erm, I can't really drive a stick..I mean, I sort of know how, but..."
"Oh come on, of course you can drive a stick, just put'er in gear and go."
"I'd, uhhh, really rather not..."
"OK, Jesus, I'll go...just watch this thing 'tll I get back.  Gotta do everything around here!"
:-[

Yeah, I could most likely do it no prob, but I could also f**k up and do three grand worth of damage, and my friend would be just a wee bit MORE irritated with me!
;D

Sure, rub it in!   ;D

Nice to be seen, Jessica!  Lotsa new faces, but at least a few familiar ones.


I was as surprised as anyone. I do not like driving stick shift, and I even stalled while taking the test. :-[ Luckily, the guy was very nice and just told me to start up again. As for parallel parking, he made me pull halfway in, said, "Okay, let's go", and left it at that. ;D

I got mine when I was 17.  My parents wouldn't let me get it until I had a 3.5 GPA, and it took me that long!  ::)  When I took my driving test, you failed if you missed 30 items.  I missed 29.  I was absolutely thrilled! 

And then the freak showed up.....

I got mine just 2 yrs ago.  I turned 38 yesterday.  Kids born after I graduated High School got their license before I did!  :-30yr old getting his Learner's Permit!  My best friend, girl friends, family all  accepted that "Troy doesn't drive".  Once, at 18, a friend put me behind the wheel.  I couldn't master the clutch, & it fed the problem.  Then at 27, my pregnant wife tried, but we had a stick & I had the same problem.  (almost induced labor with all that jerking around!)  I was married almost 9yrs before I finally got my father in-law to "teach" me.  I felt stupid once I actually got it.  It's so damn simple! 

Of course, now I have 9yrs worth of grocery shopping & running the kids around to make up for!  ;D

So don't fret, late bloomers!  It's never too late.  And it's really not difficult.  The worst part is being surronded by morons that shouldn't have a license to begin with!!  >:(


True dat, homeboy!  There's some crazy-azz drivers in the Valley.  It's scary at times!  :o

I was taught on a vehicle with manual transmission at home.  I got my learner's permit at 15 years and 7 months (took driver's ed my sophomore year) and twelve days after I turned 16 I got my driver's license.  I was the first in line that day for the driving test, and the first thing they did back then was test on parallel parking.  Since I was early and the instructor wasn't ready or had their coffee yet or something they let me practice for a few minutes.  I did great on the practice runs, gettting close enough to the "curb" and all.  When it came to the real deal I had a few problems getting within the "acceptable" range (which I think is something like within 12" or 18" of the curb.  Hell, we don't parallel park out here often! :P) but after the third attempt I was close enough (I got better at it living in NC). 

Then we had the road test - traffic and all that.  The instructor directed me to some nearby neighborhood.  We got to an intersection in the subdivision with a police car to the left of me at a stop sign.  I slowed down and asked what I should do.  She said, "I'm not the one driving!" so I said, "fine, I don't see a stop sign for me so I'm going through!" :P  (Luckily there wasn't one there.)

Finally, as we make our way out of the subdivision, we get back to the main intersection just down the road from the MVD office.  I'm in the left straightaway lane at the red light.  Light turns green and I pop the clutch on accident, jerking the car and the instructor and nearly kill the engine.  I thought I was going to fail for sure!  Surprisingly they passed me!  ;D

Later that day my mom assigned me errand duties and on the way to pick up my brother from soccer practice I whizzed by a old man crossing guard taking down the school zone signs (I was going maybe a few miles above the speed limit and was at least a lane's width between us) and I look in the rear-view mirror and he's shaking his fist at me.  ;D ;D ;D

I drive much more defensively now than I did nearly 20 years ago.  Had some azzhat in a 4Runner on Shea drive like a bat out of h3LL to get over two lanes right to turn right about 1/8 mile down.  It's called planning your route, foo'!

I'll be old and balding by the time I get my full license.  :D