I've decided to finally learn to drive

Mimsy said:
Nah, here it's all stop and go stop and go. Too much traffic to be dangerous. I'm more scared of country roads where it's so dark at night.

I've been scared to learn because I used to have panic attacks in stressful situations and I was always scared I'd have one driving a car. But I'm on an ant-anxiety drug now and it helps very much. So I'm getting braver to do more things.

Yeah, at $4 a gallon, I could never afford a Hummer, but if gas prices ever miraculously go down to, say, $1 a gallon, I'll be saving my money to buy that baby!
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precisely why I made a suggestion based on your situation.
 
green427 said:
Congrats. Learning how to drive in NYC should be a breeze....you will be an expert after about 3-4 days...:shock:

I had a dorm buddy in college that was from NYC. Did not know how to drive. (Moved to US from Korea recently) Barely passed his driving test. Parents buy him a brand-new car and let him drive it back to NTID. We joined him in his new car one weekend, and his driving was atrocious at best, we all wanted to kick his ass.

He goes home for the summer, and we meet up again in the fall. His driving was now top-notch from practicing in NYC over the summer.

Unfortunately he also became a typical NYC driver....rude & aggressive....and his brand-new car became a typical NYC car....dents, scrapes, etc....:lol:

So, bottom line is, you can do it. When all is said and done, you will look back and say "that wasn't so bad".
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"expert"? I'll have to disagree with you there :lol:

I have extreme hatred toward NYC drivers especially when they're in NJ. Their driving skill is absolutely atrocious and abysmal. They do not know how to drive properly and safely. That's why their cars are all beat up. Their road rage is inexcusable and they should not be driving in NJ like how they do it in NYC.
 
JMH said:
I thought people of Ohio drives 20 mph below speed limit. :P



Maybe it's not a good idea for you to drive in California where we all are very aggressive driver and drives 20 mph above speed limit. :D I had a friend from Conn. came down here for visit and he was so nervous when I was driving around Los Angeles area. lol
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Your friend had a very good reason to be nervous. Vehicle fatality rates are 10x higher in California. We refer to them as "loonies" here where I live, those with CA plates that is.
 
Congratulations on your driving endeavors! I've been accident free for 17 years and some words of advice:

1. If you ever feel scared or panicky just pull over. There are shoulders on the road and you can take some time to calm down. It's better to stop than keep going and risk an accident.

2. If possible, practice in low-traffic areas and get the hang of how your car handles. Each car is different and just because you might get good with your trainer car it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to drive any car. Even with all my experience whenever I rent a car I always drive slower than normal because I don't know the capabilities of it and require time to get familiar with how it handles, stops, and accelerates. For example, on my Crown Vic it requires some length for braking since it's a heavy car but if I was to drive a small car like a Honda Civic I wouldn't need as much braking distance.

3. On a highway, go with the crowd even if it means speeding. It might seem like I'm advocating illegal and dangerous behavior but I've found it safer if you go the same speed of everyone else. If you're the only one going 65 while everyone's going 80 you'll have a lot of people flying toward your rear and then they get angry and swerve around you.

4. Never, ever, ever tailgate, period. It's just asking for an accident. A good rule of thumb is if you can read the license plate of the car in front of you you're too close. On the highway for each 10mph you're going allow a car length space. For example if you're going 70mph allow 7 car lengths between you and the car in front of you. While that might seem like a lot remember that it's not just the braking capability it's your brain capability that takes time. What if the car in front all of sudden slammed its brakes? It takes about a second or so for you to notice the red brake lights and the sudden slowing motion for your brain to register and then you have a half second for you to apply brakes.

And that's it, good luck!
 
Jiro said:
precisely why I made a suggestion based on your situation.
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Ah, ok, I understand now where you were coming from.


Question, though:

I know there's a vision test to get a permit/license, reading a letter chart. Without my contact lenses, I see very poorly. Would I have to pass without contacts? I've heard of people having to take off their glasses to do the test, but that never made sense to me. If I have to read the chart without my vision aids, I'll not pass for sure.
 
A Nihilist said:
3. On a highway, go with the crowd even if it means speeding. It might seem like I'm advocating illegal and dangerous behavior but I've found it safer if you go the same speed of everyone else. If you're the only one going 65 while everyone's going 80 you'll have a lot of people flying toward your rear and then they get angry and swerve around you.
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that's what right side lane is for. if a lot of people are flying toward your rear and swerving around you, then that means you're an inconsiderate SOB driving on left lane. typical NYC driver :lol:

NJ strictly enforces - "Keep Right Except To Pass"
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-goW15AwzM[/ame]
 
A Nihilist said:
Congratulations on your driving endeavors! I've been accident free for 17 years and some words of advice:

1. If you ever feel scared or panicky just pull over. There are shoulders on the road and you can take some time to calm down. It's better to stop than keep going and risk an accident.

2. If possible, practice in low-traffic areas and get the hang of how your car handles. Each car is different and just because you might get good with your trainer car it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to drive any car. Even with all my experience whenever I rent a car I always drive slower than normal because I don't know the capabilities of it and require time to get familiar with how it handles, stops, and accelerates. For example, on my Crown Vic it requires some length for braking since it's a heavy car but if I was to drive a small car like a Honda Civic I wouldn't need as much braking distance.

3. On a highway, go with the crowd even if it means speeding. It might seem like I'm advocating illegal and dangerous behavior but I've found it safer if you go the same speed of everyone else. If you're the only one going 65 while everyone's going 80 you'll have a lot of people flying toward your rear and then they get angry and swerve around you.

4. Never, ever, ever tailgate, period. It's just asking for an accident. A good rule of thumb is if you can read the license plate of the car in front of you you're too close. On the highway for each 10mph you're going allow a car length space. For example if you're going 70mph allow 7 car lengths between you and the car in front of you. While that might seem like a lot remember that it's not just the braking capability it's your brain capability that takes time. What if the car in front all of sudden slammed its brakes? It takes about a second or so for you to notice the red brake lights and the sudden slowing motion for your brain to register and then you have a half second for you to apply brakes.

And that's it, good luck!
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Wow, what great tips!!! Thank you!
 
Mimsy said:
Would I have to pass without contacts? I've heard of people having to take off their glasses to do the test, but that never made sense to me. If I have to read the chart without my vision aids, I'll not pass for sure.
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Nah, you can wear contacts or even glasses. You're not required to have naturally 20/20 perfect vision to drive. Look at how many drivers you see with glasses. :cool2:
 
Jiro said:
that's what right side lane is for. if a lot of people are flying toward your rear and swerving around you, then that means you're an inconsiderate SOB driving on left lane. typical NYC driver :lol:
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omg I have so much to learn. Maybe I'd better buy a bicycle from Derek.
 
Mimsy said:
Ah, ok, I understand now where you were coming from.


Question, though:

I know there's a vision test to get a permit/license, reading a letter chart. Without my contact lenses, I see very poorly. Would I have to pass without contacts? I've heard of people having to take off their glasses to do the test, but that never made sense to me. If I have to read the chart without my vision aids, I'll not pass for sure.
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not an issue. if you wear glasses or contacts, wear it. that vision test is to ensure that you are not legally blind.
 
Jiro said:
"expert"? I'll have to disagree with you there :lol:

I have extreme hatred toward NYC drivers especially when they're in NJ. Their driving skill is absolutely atrocious and abysmal. They do not know how to drive properly and safely. That's why their cars are all beat up. Their road rage is inexcusable and they should not be driving in NJ like how they do it in NYC.
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even worse than drivers in DC metro, including MD and NoVA?

I drove in DC metro and they are really bad, but not know if it is worse than NYC.
 
Jiro said:
that's what right side lane is for. if a lot of people are flying toward your rear and swerving around you, then that means you're an inconsiderate SOB driving on left lane. typical NYC driver :lol:
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For some reason, it immediately come to my mind - Clueless movie where they got on freeway in panic mode:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW2JBJSaXUI&feature=player_detailpage]Freeway Freakout - Clueless (5/9) Movie CLIP (1995) HD - YouTube[/ame]
 
Foxrac said:
even worse than drivers in DC metro, including MD and NoVA?

I drove in DC metro and they are really bad, but not know if it is worse than NYC.
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I'm not from around there
 
A Nihilist said:
Yes, what I meant is that even if people on the right lane are going 80mph then for god sakes, go 80mph.
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well that's a surefire way of getting a very expensive ticket. in excess of 15mph, that's around $300+ plus 4 points in NY. not exactly an advice I would give to a beginner driver.

beside.... you can't really speed that fast most of time especially in NYC. you'd be lucky to even drive 80 mph :lol:
 
You haven't been to atlanta then. When I used to commute to work I went at least 80mph every day for about 2 years and never got a ticket even when there was a cop on the shoulder. There's a stretch of highway on GA 400 that's nicknamed the "alpharetta autobahn" where the speed limit is just a suggestion.
 
A Nihilist said:
You haven't been to atlanta then. When I used to commute to work I went at least 80mph every day for about 2 years and never got a ticket even when there was a cop on the shoulder. There's a stretch of highway on GA 400 that's nicknamed the "alpharetta autobahn" where the speed limit is just a suggestion.
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Same in Birmingham, I usually go 80 mph in passing lane, all way to downtown. The passing lane is designed for faster drivers or use to pass.

No tickets, except for verbal warning in 2009.
 
A Nihilist said:
You haven't been to atlanta then. When I used to commute to work I went at least 80mph every day for about 2 years and never got a ticket even when there was a cop on the shoulder. There's a stretch of highway on GA 400 that's nicknamed the "alpharetta autobahn" where the speed limit is just a suggestion.
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of course. 2 years... 4 years... 8 years......

but once you get caught.... I don't sympathize you. beside - this is not Atlanta anyway. it's pretty much a guarantee that you will get caught in NY-NJ for speeding 80mph on right lane. it's as obvious as Rudolph's nose :lol: maybe you'll get lucky. maybe not.
 
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