Drivers road test ridiculous.

[Mayhem]

Originally Posted by dodger

The road test should consist of 1000 merges!! I’m so sick and tired of being stuck behind some idiot doing 60/kph merging into 100/kph traffic.

Dodger.
Whew, I feel better now.

I find the PIT maneuver works great in these situations...

[brslk]

Originally Posted by alacringa

Why are you bashing Somalis? There are plenty of 3rd- and 4th-generation Albertans who should never have been given a license.

Probably because he mentioned 107 Ave and that's little Somalia. The drivers there are terrible. My office is above a mostly Somali occupied building and it's ridiculous. One of our employees asked one of the Somalians to be careful not to keep hitting her car when he parked and he slapped her. The police told her she's lucky he didn't stab her.

Our previous dispatcher had his van hit six different times in the parking lot by who you might ask? Somalians. The vast majority of them cannot drive.

[trophybook]

Originally Posted by brslk

Probably because he mentioned 107 Ave and that's little Somalia. The drivers there are terrible. My office is above a mostly Somali occupied building and it's ridiculous. One of our employees asked one of the Somalians to be careful not to keep hitting her car when he parked and he slapped her. The police told her she's lucky he didn't stab her.

Our previous dispatcher had his van hit six different times in the parking lot by who you might ask? Somalians. The vast majority of them cannot drive.

This is the reason for insurance rate hikes

[tirebob]

Dumb question, but why don’t you just book him in at a small town office outside Edmonton? Tons of people do that in Calgary. They just go to airdire or Cochran’s or the like. Less stressful on the driver too as traffic etc is less...

[Puma]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

Some testers just don't want to pass teenage boys on their first attempt.
I think that's been going on for a few generations now.

We came up against that as well. Rented an automatic car to give him an edge. The Calgary lady who tested and failed him said "Nobody passes on my first exam"

Second test I took him to Crossfield in my 3/4 ton and the tester passed and complimented him on his skills.

That said, a moving violation is an automatic fail during a test.

[Mavrick]

I’m not sure more training and a harder test will help, the mechanics and physics of operating a machine is just be on some people. I can understand a young person being frustrated with having to wait 3 months to take the test again, at that age life can’t come fast enough.

[thumper]

If someone is mature enough to drive, what are their parents doing arguing with the testers? Let go!

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by brslk

Probably because he mentioned 107 Ave and that's little Somalia. The drivers there are terrible. My office is above a mostly Somali occupied building and it's ridiculous. One of our employees asked one of the Somalians to be careful not to keep hitting her car when he parked and he slapped her. The police told her she's lucky he didn't stab her.

Our previous dispatcher had his van hit six different times in the parking lot by who you might ask? Somalians. The vast majority of them cannot drive.

In the 1990's it was called little Vietnam...how times have change

[Off in the Bushes]

Originally Posted by Positrac

My son just went through the same thing. His test was booked for months before his 16th birthday. He took the test and failed because a light turned yellow as he was going through it, all two blocks from finishing the test. Up to then he had zero demerits. We talked to the AMA tester and he said that it was one of their rules that if you go through on a yellow it’s an automatic fail. We asked if it would have been safe to stop at that point and he admitted that probably not. So, it’s just a cash grab if that’s the case.

The re-write was 3 months out but we called every morning for a week and they had a cancellation so he got back in early. He passed the second time with zero demerits.

I find this hard to believe but with that being said I can see it happening. I thought the road test was a understanding the rules (laws) and how you apply them so it demonstrates your understand and application of the rules. It is standardized so that everyone must meet the minimum proficiency.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by brslk

Probably because he mentioned 107 Ave and that's little Somalia. The drivers there are terrible. My office is above a mostly Somali occupied building and it's ridiculous. One of our employees asked one of the Somalians to be careful not to keep hitting her car when he parked and he slapped her. The police told her she's lucky he didn't stab her.

Our previous dispatcher had his van hit six different times in the parking lot by who you might ask? Somalians. The vast majority of them cannot drive.

What a terrifying thought. If this is a common thing why are they walking around freely?

There needs to be a ruling brought forth in canada something like if a member of a family commits an aggressive criminal act like this, that the entire family is deported back to the homeland, regardless of how war torn it is. Maybe that would keep them in line? Definate fantasyland thought, but nothing else is working.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

I know that private driving schools not being allowed to give road tests is probably a good thing...but this is ridiculous!
My 17 year old failed his road test yesterday (rolling stop at a stop sign). Booked the test on his birthday August 29.
The next available test is January 8th...in Lamont (we are in Edmonton).
Yet I work in a part of Edmonton with a large Somali population...everyone at work and many of my customers have commented on how you drive on 107ave at your own risk because they (Somali's) are terrible drivers.
But we appear to give them license's because they are breathing

I didn't know someones ethnicity was a determining factor in getting a Drivers License. I thought it was passing a road test.

[Iron Brew]

I'll second the ridiculous wait times for an exam. I got my bike license this year. I took the course and booked the exam. Course was in June. I couldn't get a test until September. And then I parked the bike for the season. Oh well. I actually don't disagree with removing private examiners, but I disagree with the wait times.

[rjlester]

I also remember it being called little Vietnam in the early 90's. Friend of mine lived in an apartment in the area, only lasted there a few months and moved out.

Couple of years ago, a friend from work was driving south on 104st towards 107 Ave. It was after work, probably around 5pm, broad daylight. He approached these two scummy looking houses (they were abandoned and since burned down) when a Somalian guy comes out of one of the houses, runs into the middle of the street holding a HANDGUN, and stands in front of my friends car. He slams on the brakes and now they are staring at each other. My friend reached for his cell phone, and was about to slam it into reverse when the dude ran off heading west. Called the cops and the guy disappeared pretty quick but at least the cops were looking for him.

Scary to think there is a K to 12 school, one block south of this area.

[GeoTrekr]

I did my course and test right before the GDL came out, as I knew it wouldn't solve anything and was a blatant money grab.

As it turned out, my instructor always had me drive uncomfortably close to parked cars on residential streets. When it came to my test with another tester at the same company, I repeated what I was told. When in Rome... Well guess what they failed me for on round one? Got my license on round two.

Sorry to hear about the testing delays now. Just like the GDL, this sounds like another great government 'solution'.

My own opinion, I liked the 1000 merges mentioned above. I also think mandatory manual transmission training (and skid training) would weed out a lot of people missing the requisite (and commonly absent) coordination required to operate a vehicle.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Iron Brew

I'll second the ridiculous wait times for an exam. I got my bike license this year. I took the course and booked the exam. Course was in June. I couldn't get a test until September. And then I parked the bike for the season. Oh well. I actually don't disagree with removing private examiners, but I disagree with the wait times.

Wife went through this a few years ago so phoned around and booked in another town...1hr drive there....go through the road test and pass etc just gotta work with the system and call to see for availability.

[ShortsideK]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

Did I say I was complaining about this????
I'm complaining about the time frame...or are you too thick to get that?

You somehow turn your son's inability to pass his driver's exam into an ethnic slur. Nowhere in your original post do you point out your frustration over the timing for re-testing.
Your communication skills need work.

[Savage Bacon]

These kinds of tests give me anxiety. They can turn a good driver into a nervous wreck. When I took my class 6 road test I couldn't hear the instructor through their cheap earpiece because my helmet didn't cover my ears. And I'm half deaf lol. I kept taking wrong turns and didn't know where to go. I booked in a small town to avoid wait times but I didn't know the town at all. I kept pulling up to his truck to tell him I couldn't hear him. He worked around it and I passed with barely any demerits but it definitely wasn't a relaxing ride.

When I took my class 1, my instructor told me that if I wasn't doing the speed limit I would fail the road test. So of course they booked me during lunch time rush hour in red deer. I was so nervous. It was hard to wrap my brain around driving faster than I wanted to at some times. But I zipped through traffic and passed with no demerits. Instructor was white too. (Not racist, it's known to make a difference)

Took my class 5 road test in a small town and had to argue with the guy to even let me take the test because my horn didn't work. The guy was a real ***** and I was so nervous but I passed.

Tell your boy to relax and don't make a silly mistake next time. Easier said than done but those nervous mistakes are the ones that will get you.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

These kinds of tests give me anxiety. They can turn a good driver into a nervous wreck. When I took my class 6 road test I couldn't hear the instructor through their cheap earpiece because my helmet didn't cover my ears. And I'm half deaf lol. I kept taking wrong turns and didn't know where to go. I booked in a small town to avoid wait times but I didn't know the town at all. I kept pulling up to his truck to tell him I couldn't hear him. He worked around it and I passed with barely any demerits but it definitely wasn't a relaxing ride.

When I took my class 1, my instructor told me that if I wasn't doing the speed limit I would fail the road test. So of course they booked me during lunch time rush hour in red deer. I was so nervous. It was hard to wrap my brain around driving faster than I wanted to at some times. But I zipped through traffic and passed with no demerits. Instructor was white too. (Not racist, it's known to make a difference)

Took my class 5 road test in a small town and had to argue with the guy to even let me take the test because my horn didn't work. The guy was a real ***** and I was so nervous but I passed.

Tell your boy to relax and don't make a silly mistake next time. Easier said than done but those nervous mistakes are the ones that will get you.

When I took my class 6 in Saskatchewan, the test was in a large parking lot, and the evaluator walked around and gave instructions. The course was more about being able to handle your motorcycle, than about the driving regulations, which made sense, because we had already passed a road test in a vehicle. We had to drive over small obstacles, make tight turns, ride at slow speed while maintaining control, making a panic stop, and a hill start. We had to lean the bike over until it almost touched, to show that we could pick it up if we dropped it. I thought that this made more sense than a normal road test. When I did my test, there were seven people on location, and only myself, and two other people passed.

[liar]

i agree that some of the " foreign " looking drivers ( perhaps immigrants ) some times look a little lost or confused on the roads ,however , the younger white male drivers are the ones i see driving aggressively and often dangerously ( high speed , brake checks ) . why do some of these guys have licenses ?

as for the examiner that said " i dont pass anyone on the first try " . if this is true and if it had happened to me i would be in contact with my mla immediately and the press . that is just not right . remember everyone , the government is supposed to be working for us , not the other way around .

[Iron Brew]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Wife went through this a few years ago so phoned around and booked in another town...1hr drive there....go through the road test and pass etc just gotta work with the system and call to see for availability.

Everybody was doing this. The only tests earlier I could get were 3 hours away. I'd log in and check frequently, but... nope...

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

When I took my class 6 in Saskatchewan, the test was in a large parking lot, and the evaluator walked around and gave instructions. The course was more about being able to handle your motorcycle, than about the driving regulations, which made sense, because we had already passed a road test in a vehicle. We had to drive over small obstacles, make tight turns, ride at slow speed while maintaining control, making a panic stop, and a hill start. We had to lean the bike over until it almost touched, to show that we could pick it up if we dropped it. I thought that this made more sense than a normal road test. When I did my test, there were seven people on location, and only myself, and two other people passed.

When I tested for my class 6 I had my class 6 licensed step father accompany me regarding covering my butt to get my motorcycle there. Another person who arrived for the test did not have a licensed rider accompanying them and they didn’t even get the chance to ride because of that, automatic fail.

[HVA7mm]

As for a 17 year old failing their road test due to a rolling stop, and it being a long time to schedule a new test.............................

[teledogs]

If anyone does a rolling stop during an exam maybe they need the extra few weeks of practice.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

"...Took my class 5 road test in a small town and had to argue with the guy to even let me take the test because my horn didn't work.."

I see no issue at all with stopping a test for no horn, if I were instructor,
it would be a yellow flag of sorts of other possible faulty equipment.

[barbless]

You are allowed to do rolling stops only after you get your licence and also you can make up your own rules for driving. Must be true cause I see it every day and all day. Not too many people stop at stop signs. I kinda figure their brakes need to be checked cause the vehicle won't stop. Try stopping at a stop sign and watch the expression on the face of the one behind you. Now that is usually good for a laugh. Some peoples driving habits are brutal to say the least.

[tri777]

Originally Posted by barbless

You are allowed to do rolling stops only after you get your licence and also you can make up your own rules for driving. Must be true cause I see it every day and all day. Not too many people stop at stop signs. I kinda figure their brakes need to be checked cause the vehicle won't stop. Try stopping at a stop sign and watch the expression on the face of the one behind you. Now that is usually good for a laugh. Some peoples driving habits are brutal to say the least.

For me, daily, their headlights are most brutal, wish to heck a filter device
was created that if oncoming cars didn't pass, big juicy fine!

[daveyn]

I have 5 children, 4 have licenses and the 5th has her learners
Child 1 failed the first time, passed the 2nd and so far has rear ended 1 person and wrote of her mothers car and has been rear ended by somebody else
child 2 passed on the first try, no incidents to date
child 3 passed on the first try, no incidents to date
Child 4 failed twice, passed on the third, rear ended somebody in traffic, hit a deer and can't park worth a damn and scares the crap out of me.

I'm seeing a trend with the ability to pass the drivers test as a precursor of things to come.

[last minute]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

I know that private driving schools not being allowed to give road tests is probably a good thing...but this is ridiculous!
My 17 year old failed his road test yesterday (rolling stop at a stop sign). Booked the test on his birthday August 29.
The next available test is January 8th...in Lamont (we are in Edmonton).
Yet I work in a part of Edmonton with a large Somali population...everyone at work and many of my customers have commented on how you drive on 107ave at your own risk because they (Somali's) are terrible drivers.
But we appear to give them license's because they are breathing

Your kid fails from a rolling stop and somails are terrible drivers now that's funny

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Iron Brew

Everybody was doing this. The only tests earlier I could get were 3 hours away. I'd log in and check frequently, but... nope...

Three hour bike ridesounds good to me, have a couple buddies go with you and enjoy, that's what we did.

[omega50]

Where in the heck could a child have learned to do a rolling stop?