The Richmond News’ latest recruit, reporter Daisy Xiong, is trying to pass her driving test in Richmond. She has bravely agreed to share her experiences, good and bad, with our readers over the next few (let’s hope less than a few) weeks until she passes.
I failed my road test for the third time last week.
Was I surprised? Not really.
One mistake can be fatal (in terms of passing the test) and I’ve learned this the hard way during my past three months learning to drive.
My mom decided she no longer needed her car and offered it to me. Bussing around in Richmond, especially under deadlines, can be trying, so I decided to accept her offer.
First, though, I had to pass my driving test.
My initial test was on June 27 at the ICBC location in Lansdowne, after more than 20 hours of training.
I felt confident, but as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
I left the parking lot and entered a complicated crossroad – it’s a choke point along the route.
Here, there are no traffic lights and cars need to pass along the road to the left and merge into the road on the right.
I saw a car approaching, but thought that it was still distant, so I pressed on the gas and crossed the street.
“That was too close!” my examiner exclaimed.
Making him fear for his life was definitely not a good sign.
I continued to drive and tried to merge onto the right road, until the examiner slammed the safety brake down (the test car has a safety brake pedal in the passenger seat).
“There are cars coming from behind!” he wailed. I thought I saw him shudder from the corner of my eye.
I made a few other mistakes and the first test had been a disaster.
I hired a new instructor, who turned out to be awesome, and spent another 10 hours practising almost everything. After one month, I had my second road test, this time in Burnaby.
It went really well, until at one road, I needed to merge to the right before my lane ended. I sped up, trying to merge into the cars queued on my right-hand side.
But the car behind me didn’t let me in and closed the gap. I was forced to stop for a second, then the car backed off and I managed to slot in. But that got me failed – again. It was not appropriate to force someone behind you to let you in and I should have waited until it was completely safe.
One month after that, I took my third test — at ICBC in Richmond again. This time I was ready to embrace my success and come home with a temporary driver’s licence.
I started the car, moved slowly out of the parking lot, entered the main road, and all looked good. I saw a car coming, but judged it was at a safe distance, or that it might slow down, so I rushed to enter the road.
The examiner slammed the safety break. Failed. Again.
My instructor summarized: only 20 per cent is skill; 80 per cent is attitude; don’t rush; be patient.
Honestly, I don’t mind strict road tests. They do consume time and money, but they ensure the safety of people in cars and pedestrians crossing the road.
I have seen so many drivers crossing solid lines, changing lanes in intersections, forcing people to let them enter, speeding... all practices that would make them fail a road test.
If everyone drives in the same way they do to pass a driving test, the roads would be much safer.
For me, now it’s time to go back to public transit and my Razor Scooter.
