How I got my first driver’s license in America and why it’s not necessary to go to a driving school

“Where are you from, from Germany?” I took my driving test, and my Nepali instructor was surprisingly talkative. “No, from Ukraine,” I answered without turning my head.

Фото: Depositphotos

The stress level was already off the charts. I nervously repeated the mantra to myself: “watch for stop signs, don’t speed, don’t turn your head at the mirrors.” Suddenly the instructor answered in Ukrainian: “Good, good,” and completely puzzled me.

Then we talked about life in America, and he also advised me to turn more decisively (“because other drivers may be nervous”). In the end, I passed the exam. And finally I felt complete, and not a person “without rights” in the USA!

The fact that, unlike Europe, outside the large cities (and often in the cities themselves) in the United States there is almost no public transport, I learned only after moving. And not just did not have a car and a driver’s license, but in general did not spend a day driving. I had to study already here.

Фото: Depositphotos

Driving schools are for violators

To get a license in the USA, you must pass a theoretical exam and driving practice. Moreover, adults do not have to go to driver’s schools (driver’s clinics), but malicious violators are sent there for “recertification”. But many American teens are often taught to drive by their parents, so they have these skills from an early age.

In theory, everything is simple - you study the rules of the state in which you are taking it (for me - Virginia), then you practice taking practice tests in the application on your phone, and then you take the exam at the nearest DMV office (department of motor vehicles - department of motor vehicles).

Of course, in the queue for the submission of documents you have to defend several hours, but this turned out to be a simple step. From 35 questions, I made only one mistake in a situation not typical for Ukraine: “If you knock a deer on the road, where to report?” For some reason, I mistakenly chose not the police, but the DMV.

But the whole difficulty was actually learning to drive! I had about a dozen “lessons” of an hour or two each from completely different “teachers” - friends, colleagues and acquaintances with cars, different in age and size.

Exam - in your own car

It was not easy to find a “volunteer” who would agree to give me his car for half a day to pass the exam. In America, the DMV doesn’t have special cars for this - you have to bring your own car, they don’t allow you to rent a car. I was lucky and my friend just before my exam bought a brand new SUV and agreed to help.

You should register for the exam by phone. But waiting for many hours at the DMV is still impossible to avoid: in one line you get a number, then you wait until they call you to submit documents at a specific window. There they check your vision, take a photo and send you to wait until the instructor is free.

Although American government agencies provide many services online, the bureaucratic red tape at the DMV remains a source of ridicule. The atmosphere is better conveyed by the animated film “Zootropolis”, where sloths work in the institution.

The exam itself lasted 10-15 minutes and was surprisingly simple. Leave the parking lot, drive along the street, make several turns at the traffic lights, and return. No parallel parking, complex maneuvers, exit on the highway (highway). The fact that in a state of law there can be no talk of any bribes, I think, is not worth talking about.

No car hikes on the road

Although I don’t have to buy my own car yet, having a driver’s license gave me incredible freedom of movement. Now I have already “rolled” over a thousand miles, mainly while traveling. And in some parts of the country, like Texas or Puerto Rico, I would not be able to see almost anything without being able to rent a car.

In Ukraine, I was driving only twice. But colleagues and friends insist that American drivers are much educated and calm. I can confirm that as a pedestrian and passenger in the USA I feel much safer.

In my experience in America, drivers more often pass each other, allow you to change lanes, and do not cut or go around traffic jams on the sidewalks. And if the driver later slowed down to red and left behind the stop-line or to the “zebra”, then he often “gives up” in order not to interfere with the pedestrians crossing the road.

Фото: Depositphotos

Interestingly, driving styles vary from state to state. For example, in my opinion, on the east coast, in general, everyone drives slower and more calmly than in the south. Highway speed limits also vary by state, ranging from 60 miles (97 km) to 85 miles (137 km) per hour in Texas.

Find ten differences

In general, American traffic rules are generally somewhat different from European ones. For example, many traffic signs are indicated not by symbols, but by words - instead of “brick” - the inscription “do not enter”, not a person with a shovel, but the inscription “road works”.

You can turn right here even when the light is red, if there are no pedestrians or signs prohibiting it. And at some unregulated intersections the rule works: whoever arrives first has priority. Even the color of the traffic light allows pedestrians to cross the road - white, and for the movement of cars - the familiar green.

By the way, with a foreign driver’s license, you can travel to the United States for only a few months, depending on the state, and to get an American license you need to pass a practical driving test, even if the driver has many years of experience.

Фото: Depositphotos

It's also interesting that the biggest cost for a car in the US may be insurance, averaging $120 per month. But gasoline in America is very cheap - $2-3 per gallon (3,8 liters). And Americans measure fuel consumption not “the number of liters of fuel per 100 kilometers”, but “the number of miles that a car will travel on one gallon of fuel.”

Americans are also very unaccustomed to manual transmissions, although there are much more large cars - from SUVs and pickups to trucks - on local roads than in Europe. The lanes are also much wider here, especially on large highways.

The original column is published on the website. Ukrainian service "Voices of America".

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