Failing the North Carolina Driver's License Exam
I went in to the North Carolina DMV on Thursday to get a new driver's license in the state I now call home. After at least an hour wait, the cranky officer called my number, B352.
After talking with her for a few minutes and showing her my current driver's license, social security card, proof of insurance, and proof of residency, I took my vision and sign recognition tests.
Perfect. I could read some random letters and recognize a stop sign.
But when she asked me to step over to the computer to take the written exam, I thought she was kidding me. After all, I have been driving safely for almost ten years now and haven't looked at driving laws in Mississippi since Driver's Ed the summer before my freshman year in high school.
Much less the North Carolina driving laws.
But I thought, "Hey, I'm a good driver. This will be a piece of cake. I will just use common sense and my experience as a driver to get me through this."
So I sat down at the touch screen computer and was relieved to find out the test was multiple choice. I just knew I was gonna ace this test and be driving legally in North Carolina within the hour.
I got my first question wrong. And things didn't pick up much from there.
I had questions like, "What percentage of fatal crashes in North Carolina are alcohol-related?" and "If traveling at a speed over 45 mph, how soon should you engage your blinker when turning at an intersection?" and "Under the North Carolina point system, what happens when you reach seven points?"
What?!? I had never even heard of the North Carolina point system.
So within a matter of minutes, I had flunked the test and was headed out the door. But not before I grabbed a copy of the North Carolina driving manual.
When I called my mama to tell her the news, she just laughed and asked, "So you're smart enough to get into grad school at Chapel Hill but not smart enough to pass the driver's exam?"
Yes mom. That's right. Thanks for the encouragement.
So the next day, after studying the friggin' manual for about an hour, I headed back to the DMV for round two. This time, the line was twice as long and it was twice as hot in the office. But I waited. Very patiently. And it payed off.
I ended up passing with 100% and got my shiny new driver's licence and ran for the border. This time I called my dad, who always manages to pull out some nugget of wisdom that translates into a lesson learned.
"I guess that goes to show you, son, that it's hard to pass any test without studying first," he said.
Yes dad. That's right. Thanks for the encouragement.
After talking with her for a few minutes and showing her my current driver's license, social security card, proof of insurance, and proof of residency, I took my vision and sign recognition tests.
Perfect. I could read some random letters and recognize a stop sign.
But when she asked me to step over to the computer to take the written exam, I thought she was kidding me. After all, I have been driving safely for almost ten years now and haven't looked at driving laws in Mississippi since Driver's Ed the summer before my freshman year in high school.
Much less the North Carolina driving laws.
But I thought, "Hey, I'm a good driver. This will be a piece of cake. I will just use common sense and my experience as a driver to get me through this."
So I sat down at the touch screen computer and was relieved to find out the test was multiple choice. I just knew I was gonna ace this test and be driving legally in North Carolina within the hour.
I got my first question wrong. And things didn't pick up much from there.
I had questions like, "What percentage of fatal crashes in North Carolina are alcohol-related?" and "If traveling at a speed over 45 mph, how soon should you engage your blinker when turning at an intersection?" and "Under the North Carolina point system, what happens when you reach seven points?"
What?!? I had never even heard of the North Carolina point system.
So within a matter of minutes, I had flunked the test and was headed out the door. But not before I grabbed a copy of the North Carolina driving manual.
When I called my mama to tell her the news, she just laughed and asked, "So you're smart enough to get into grad school at Chapel Hill but not smart enough to pass the driver's exam?"
Yes mom. That's right. Thanks for the encouragement.
So the next day, after studying the friggin' manual for about an hour, I headed back to the DMV for round two. This time, the line was twice as long and it was twice as hot in the office. But I waited. Very patiently. And it payed off.
I ended up passing with 100% and got my shiny new driver's licence and ran for the border. This time I called my dad, who always manages to pull out some nugget of wisdom that translates into a lesson learned.
"I guess that goes to show you, son, that it's hard to pass any test without studying first," he said.
Yes dad. That's right. Thanks for the encouragement.
