Failure!

[ladysprite]

Well, this is humiliating.

I have had my driver's license for 20 years, now. I have never been at-fault in an accident. I have never had any points on my license. I've never had a moving violation - not even a speeding ticket.

So how the hell is it that yesterday I managed to fail the written test for my learner's permit? (Needed in order to get my motorcycle license).

I practiced. I read up online for what to expect. I reviewed stuff. I was told it'd be a review of basic rules of the road. Instead, I wound up getting asked questions like 'What is the minimum suspension period for a Junior Operator with a learner's permit for a second offense on drag racing?" (Does anyone even drag race anymore? I thought that went out when Danny Zuko graduated high school), or 'What is the minimum fee to reinstate a driver's license after suspension for a drug offense?' Not a single question on, say, how to drive....

I feel like an idiot. I have never failed a test in my life. And while I know that the questions are supposedly chosen at random, the cynical part of me can't help but wonder about the fact that the facility where I took the test is located in a rather ethnically diverse, low-income area, and whether the preponderance of questions on drugs, fines, and license suspensions has something to do with the state's perception of demographics....

Now I have... let's see. A week and a half to find a time to take it again and pass before my class next weekend. Time to get memorizing....

Comments

[xuth.livejournal.com]

This is becoming more prevalent in many states. The legislature will pass laws saying things like "at least n% or m questions on the new drivers test must have questions regarding X" for some politically motivated reason (some constituents child was killed by a drunk driver, drag racer, etc. Us bicyclists managed to get a question on the test regarding motorist/cyclist interaction. It goes on from there). Eventually you get to the point where this is the majority of the questions.