Pimpbot

and it was a piece of piss. One three point turn and a 10 minute drive around the block exiting once onto the freeway, but then turning right back off it within half a mile. The most difficult part about the test, was waiting for the actual lisence to be printed, because it would appear that only one member of the DMV in Mesa, could re boot a computer!.

fatbrit

I feel some joke comng on about how many state employees does it take to...

dbj1000

They made you do a 3-point turn?!?

How quaint! Don't they have enough room in Arizona for 6-lane residential roads with u-turn lanes at intersections?

Honestly, here in Texas I don't think anyone has ever tried to actually turn their vehicle around without a lane to do it in, let alone parallel park it or reverse around a corner. Hell, they have enough trouble parking their 5-ton tanks in those convenient diagonal parking spaces without taking up 2 or more!

veryfunny

Just do not move state or you will have to do it all again.

Congrats!

Steff

Congratulations

I don't think that you have to take the test again if you move to another state- or do you?

scrubbedexpat099

Not normally, you trade one for another.

But I have not checked every DMV and they are all different.

veryfunny

You certainly do if you move from TX to Cali.

Steff

Hmm, I looked on the CA DMV web site and it says this:

"If you have a license from another country, you will be required to take a driving test. If you have a license from another state, the driving test can be waived."

So it can be waived but not always??
It says you definitely have to take the signs and laws test again though.

veryfunny

Remember they are immigration crazy over here when it come to licenses.

Bob

Depends on which state you move to, they all vary, New Hampshire, you just pay the fee, for Mass, you take the eye test...in Maine, you have to take the written, and practical, but until my international license runs out, I ain't bothering with because I hope to be somewhere else by the time that runs out...and it would be really embarrassing to fail now wouldn't it, after have a clean UK license for about 7 yrs *l*

Manc

If you fail a driving test in the USA you should be put in a straightjacket.

Bob

Innit....not to mention the cost....but also it's a major pain getting to a test center in Maine, it's like a couple hour drive from where I am, and even if I took it and failed, I'd just drive off in my UK license, so don't see the point....
it ain't cheap, and technically, I never had the learner's permit and the required hours with a licensed driver, and five hours of night driving.....it's all very weird out in Maine.....not that I've noticed all that many people following the driving laws...

Emm

Thanks, I'd best put my straight jacket on right now

Despite having passed my British driving test first time, which was a much more difficult test, I failed my NC driving test the first time I took it. The little 'road' behind the test centre here, where I had to do a 3 point turn, is extremely narrow and I was failed for NOT dry steering. Dry steering for those not in the know is turning your steering wheel when stationary, it's not very good for your car and will cause you to be failed in a British driving test (my hubby failed his first UK test for this). I did my 3 point turn in 5 points and was failed and told that I should have been turning the wheel whilst stationary in order to complete the manoeuvre in 3 points (go figure!).

Before re-taking the test I hunted around for the smallest roads I could find in order to practice, not an easy task I can tell you. Then re-took the test, dutifully dry steering the whole time and had no trouble passing.

So despite the fact that the test here is piss easy, don't take it for granted as they can still fail you for rediculously stupid reasons. I am actually pretty good at 3 point turns and didn't even worry about it the first time (silly me).

Now I have my NC licence and even my picture looks pretty good


Emm.

Pimpbot

I didn't even have the instuctor in the car when I did my 3 point turn. She watched from outside and was more interested in whether I hit the cones. Everybody back home has laughed when I told them how easy my test was. I even thought to myself "is that it" when we got back to the test center. Considering I never drove a car in the U.K. and had only really drove about 40 miles in a car in the space of a couple of weeks before the test. Driving an automatic certainly makes it a lot easier.

FlyergirlUK

Congrats on passing your test!

I, too, had to do that poxy '3 point turn', also parallel parking, which I managed despite never having had to do it prior to that day! It was one of those timed jobbies and I pulled it off so I was pleased.

That's two driving tests I've passed now, first time, in different countries and neither of them was the UK!

Happy driving!!