Having applied for a driving license within just weeks from getting to the legal age for applying does qualify me as a person eligible to write a post on it. This isn,t really a post with a lot of statistical data and technical analysis. This post is all about my thought process while driving in the still developing roads of india and on a developed roads of the middle east.
The License
Lets start with the driver's license itself. I remember my home country licensing as a pretty easy affair. I did not get a panic attack. The test was simple and was out of a set of standard quiestions out of a booklet and was much of a mugging up. Once the test was through i was handed a learner's license and could learn to drive pretty much the way i felt. I never really saw a driving scholl and i can vouch most of my friends those days didn't either. It was learn by my own and the final driving test was simple. The day i went for test i gave some money to a driving school guy to use his vehicle for the test and some tips on how to take the H & 8 . And oooo laaa... I was licensed to drive
With this experince of having a license and having driven for nearly 8 years i went up to this country to apply for license I could only register for it and i was send straight to the driving school. Ath the school based on my years of driving experience in home country they were generous to give me a test to see if i can face the police driving test straight away. I failed miserabily. It was a revelation that i had only learned how to operate a motor vehicle and had not really learne to drive. It took me 3 months in the driving school with systematic learning and asssments to finally clear the police road test in first attempt. Here i learned how to drive. I learned driving is more than just winning on the road.
The fear of being caught
The understanding of the rules through systematic study, the understanding of the implications of breaking the rules, the severity of the implications and the knowledge that i am being watched and if i am caught i can not really get off by paying a bribe keeps me away from breaking these rules intentionally.
The understanding of accidents
Inspite of the fact that i graduated in automobile engineering, it too me a session in the accident simulators to understand why a seatbelt can really save my life.
Now in a highly populus country where accidents are a common thing, shouldn't we really think a bit more seriously about reducing it
The License
Lets start with the driver's license itself. I remember my home country licensing as a pretty easy affair. I did not get a panic attack. The test was simple and was out of a set of standard quiestions out of a booklet and was much of a mugging up. Once the test was through i was handed a learner's license and could learn to drive pretty much the way i felt. I never really saw a driving scholl and i can vouch most of my friends those days didn't either. It was learn by my own and the final driving test was simple. The day i went for test i gave some money to a driving school guy to use his vehicle for the test and some tips on how to take the H & 8 . And oooo laaa... I was licensed to drive
With this experince of having a license and having driven for nearly 8 years i went up to this country to apply for license I could only register for it and i was send straight to the driving school. Ath the school based on my years of driving experience in home country they were generous to give me a test to see if i can face the police driving test straight away. I failed miserabily. It was a revelation that i had only learned how to operate a motor vehicle and had not really learne to drive. It took me 3 months in the driving school with systematic learning and asssments to finally clear the police road test in first attempt. Here i learned how to drive. I learned driving is more than just winning on the road.
The fear of being caught
The understanding of the rules through systematic study, the understanding of the implications of breaking the rules, the severity of the implications and the knowledge that i am being watched and if i am caught i can not really get off by paying a bribe keeps me away from breaking these rules intentionally.
The understanding of accidents
Inspite of the fact that i graduated in automobile engineering, it too me a session in the accident simulators to understand why a seatbelt can really save my life.
Now in a highly populus country where accidents are a common thing, shouldn't we really think a bit more seriously about reducing it
