Taking your DL test with a Prius.. Watch out!

what an idiot

 

Hope you got his name to file a complaint.

 

As a CDL instructor I unfortunatly have to deal with these know it all's all the time. If it's good enough to be certified by NHSTA to be sold in the US it should be good enough to take a driver's license test in it. Hope your son passed the test anyway? What happened?

 

I can see it now.
Kid stops at a red light.
Instructor: You stalled the car, 5 points off.
Kid: Sir, it is supposed to shut off at stops. It saves fuel and doesn't pollute.
Instructor: I will not accept such insolence, you FAIL!

It has been a long time since I took mine, but I think they are supposed to make sure you can start, stop, turn, park, change lanes, signal the turns. Look over your shoulder to remove blind spots when changing lanes. Look for hazards and traffic controls. I don't remember anything about how tight the steering is or how long it takes to stop from 60 MPH. I'm sure they can refuse to let you test in a car that is not inspected or inspectable.

I'm with Victor, I hope you got a name and talked to their supervisor. Taking the test is nerve wracking enough for the testee without having the tester gettng testy! ;-)

If your son didn't pass for any reason, make sure the supervisor doesn't let the same person run the test the next time. Oh, and make sure any younger children, nieces, nephews, etc don't have this person either, in case they hold a grudge.

 

when i took my driving test, part of the test was to start the car in high idle and be able to kick it in to low idle...safety inspection before the road test was also required.

 

When I took my driving test the instructor asked me where the headlight dimmer switch was, expecting it to be on the floor, by the left side. He had never seen a car before in which the headlight dimmer switch was on the steering wheel.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(victor\";p=\"50822)</div>

I agree; file a complaint.

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Neil Kirkman Building
2900 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0500

 

I am sorry for the jerk you had to deal with. My son took his DL test in our new Prius. For safety reasons, we discussed the process of turning off the MFD if it bugged the instructor. Our happy story was that he passed his test with flying colors. The MFD issue never came up. I think the instructor was so taken by the Prius, she discussed the car with me for 15 minutes after the driving test! She was ready to go down to Toyota and put her name on the list to get one! An amazing car that is still turning heads. She asked the usual question, "Do you have to plug it in?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dennisd\";p=\"50890)</div>

Sounds like you qualify to post in the following thread!:

http://www.priuschat.com/forums/has-anyone...ius-vt5406.html

 

The Prius is a bad choice for a driving test anyway, as it would count as an automatic. I can't imagine being licensed only for automatics. I guess it's different in the US, where automatics are more common?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tms13\";p=\"50902)</div>

At least in the 2 states I have gotten a license, they don't have a box to check for for auto or manual. If you can drive it and pass the test, you can drive any car.

 

I remember my license test as though it were yesterday (though of course it wasn't). Due to a quirk of holiday scheduling, I was off of school on a day the State offices were open, so most people expected the State offices would be closed and the lines were short.

My examiner was very concerned that I made use of the parking brake. I wonder what the reaction will be when they learn the Prius goes into Park when you turn it off!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tms13\";p=\"50902)</div>

I will second bruceha_2000 on that point.

I know of no state of the union which issues drivers' licenses that limit their holders to driving only vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions.

 

Seems like driving a stick in the US is becoming a dying art. The few cars with sticks are sports cars or econo boxes. I am making my son learn how to drive a stick, and he hates it! He would rather drive the Prius (duh!) than an Acura Intergra. I do think it is a good idea to know how to drive a stick, but you certainly do not have to know to get your DL in California.

 

it was a dying art when i got my first license so many years ago

 

I scuttled a kid doing his driving test a few weeks ago. Sad day. I was going to my bank, it is near the DMV Center, I came around a corner in stealth and with the sun behind me. As you note a Silver car. I would guess hard to see. He had pulled into a parking lot and was doing the backing out into traffic. He had pulled way in and there is landscaping. As I came around the corner he pulled out 30-40 ft. in front of me and proceeded to attempt to back into me. I hit the brakes, hit the horn and put it in reverse. He slammed on the brakes. I went into drive and drove around him. I expect he failed. He will probably be the last Hummer driver in the US. Unable to drive a fuel efficient car because of his anxiety disorder. Or not.
I remember my first driver test to this day! In those days in Ohio the Ohio State Highway Patrol Officers rotated through this "duty" and they hated it. That was clear. He took off his campaign hat (reads smokey) and put it in the back seat. I was driving a Ford Mustang (yes first model year my Moms car) and we were off. My high school driving instructor had some program for parallel parking that involved a small mark on the rear passenger side window to line up the poles. He suggested very light pink lipstick to make the marks. I finally got my sister to agree to borrowing hers and marked the window with a faint stripe. I passed, just, with this 7ft authority figure in the other seat how very reluctantly gave me a licenses to commit mayhem on the highways.