It’s not who we let in. It’s our pathetic driver training. We put completely unskilled drivers on the road in hoards. Our licenses come out of crackerjack boxes. We are the most undertrained underskilled drivers in the western world. And it shows in our accident rate.
It is more than the licensing; the auto industry seems to determined to sell cars to these newcomers (they are prized as CONSUMERS, not workers), but at the same time even their other habits need work. How many times do you see them push strollers out into traffic, or use children as airbags in cars?
It’s not who we let in. It’s our pathetic driver training.
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Mind you, I am NOT complaining but in 2014 my license was renewed for 8 years COMPLETELY ON LINE.
Last week I went in for an ‘upgrade’ to a ‘secure’ license which required all sorts of ID, Birth Certificate etc etc etc.
The process took minutes but wasted about 3 hours because of the ‘crowds’...at least everything ‘public’ was done in English...<: <:
Anyhow, went through all that and they neglected to do an eye test...maybe it is guaged by how you act while dealing with the clerk and my license still expires in 2022 but it did seem strange.
Oh...the reason for my ‘shock & awe’ is my DOB is 1939 and it ‘scares’ me that the state would issue an 8 years license to someone that was 75, sight unseen....
BTW, I still work and drive for a living but ‘they’ don’t really know that.
In Texas, all you need is a parent who will sign off that he/she taught you to drive. No need for drivers’ ed anymore.
We also have illegals driving willy nilly.
I commute by bike most days. I find that motorists are often much worse to each other than they are to me.
I would also say that my driving skill has become much better when I started to ride a bike. It makes me much more aware of situations that might turn out badly.
Learn to read traffic from the saddle of a bicycle and you will be a much better driver.
Another problem is our reluctance to revoke drivers licences. Somehow people treat driving as their God given right. Bad driving is like bad trigger discipline. Might not get you today but eventually you run out of chances.
P.S. Bike lanes suck