Friday, November 28, 2003

Driving me insane 

So I finally got off my posterior and read the road manual thing. Driving sure is harder than it seems...so many rules! The thing is, they don't provide explanations. Why must one park 20m from the approach side of a bus stop but 10m from the approach side of a tram stop sign? What's with the unbroken and solid lines and double lines and yellow lines? Why do you signal LEFT in a roundabout when you're leaving a roundabout if you're making a right turn? Huh?

Reading the book was too boring so I looked for online tests. Try your hand at these: Western Australia, New South Wales, ACT. So far I've passed in WA and ACT, but failed in NSW. The Victorian site is so crap, the practise test doesn't even work. Know where I'll be driving? Yep, NSW and Vic. Drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, trees, phone poles beware!

For non-Aussies, a short intro into our licencing system: we have 3 tiers, Learner, Probationary and Full licences. To get your Learner's, you must be over 16, and you have to pass an eyesight test and a knowledge test. After that you can drive with a full-licence supervisor. 120 hours of practice later (yeah right), or 6 months after you get your L's, you take another eye test, a practical driving test, and a hazard perception test on a computer. If you pass, you can drive unaccompanied. You have to hold your P's for three years, without breaking the modified rules (eg. 0 blood-alcohol, compared to 0.05 for full licence-holders) before you get your full licence.

So basically, I can't drink drive until I'm 21! Darn.

# posted at 1:50 am

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