What A Drudgery In
Germany
In
Germany, I was always somewhat appalled by the high cost and the many-hours of
tedious training and the excruciating tests to obtain a license. The total
costs of obtaining a driver’s license are reported to be Euro 1,700 or higher.
Deutsche
Gründlichkeit (German propensity to exacting requirements) at its worst!
Sure
enough, most adolescent Germans pass this demanding test every year, however it
is reported that about 30% fail the tests. But why does it have to be that way?
Walk In The Park In
The USA
In the US
it is totally different. No stress! Fast and cheap! I took me about 12 hours of
driving lessons. None of these hours were legally required, but I was trying to
be prepared. I did not have much prior experience driving a car. The formal
driving test consisted of about 30 or so multiple choice questions entered on a
touch-screen. Fairly easy and convenient. My practical driving test was less
than 15 minutes long. The entire driving test was conducted on a parking lot of
a shopping mall on Sunrise Boulevard in Philadelphia. Even when I made a
serious mistake failing to stop at a stop sign, while demonstrating my driving
skills on the parking lot, the gentleman sitting next to me smiled kindly and I
passed. The whole driver’s license only cost me a few bucks. What a joyful day!
Lessons Learnt
What’s
the lesson? In the US, you learn driving by doing it and from experience.
Formal or rigorous tests are not considered superior. Every driver, young or
old, is expected to drive responsibly and with care towards others. A driver’s
license is a privilege and you are expected to treat it as such. I do not know
of any traffic accident statistics or other statistics that would lend support
that either the German way or the American way is better. You guess which way I
prefer.
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