American driver licensing sucks

"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario) 03/20/2014 at 22:07 • Filed to: None

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What's worse than having some jackass in his bro-truck come up on your ass get in the left lane to pass you then immediately cut you off to get to the exit he is just about to miss? Nothing, that's what...okay if it also had truck nuts on it, it would be worse.

Any who, what I am trying to get at is something that came up in conversation the other day...the lifted truck hate here. One of the more interesting things that came up is the fact that a lot (A LOT) of guys with these big ass trucks simply don't know how to drive a vehicle that large, thus come off as ass hats to the other drivers around them. Which is true...too many people in the US don't even know how to drive well in a small car much less a huge pickup...which is because our licensing system here sucks balls.

How many other first world countries can you get a drivers license by passing a test in a 3-cylinder geo metro and immediately go drive a 40ft+ camper after? I am willing to bet not many (and if I am wrong about that, then those places suck too). It got me thinking about what would be a good licensing system in the states, or at least what would I like to see.

It should be split into 4 tiers based on vehicle weight/size then have an additional 4 tiers based on trailer weight/size. The 4 tiers for vehicle would be 1) Economy Vehicle 2)Full Size Vehicle 3)Heavy Duty Vehicle 4)Oversize Vehicle and the criteria would be as follows.

Economy Vehicles would be any vehicle under 3000lbs. Full Size Vehicles would be anything from 3000lbs to 5000lbs. Heavy Duty Vehicles are anything between 5000lbs and 11000lbs. Oversize Vehicles are anything over 11000lbs. This would all be for personal vehicles, commercial licensing would still be a separate thing.

Then there would be 4 tiers for trailers too. 1) Light Duty 2) Medium Duty 3)Heavy Duty and 4) Extra Heavy Duty. Light duty would be anything under 12ft long and under 2000lbs, Medium duty would be anything from light duty up to 20ft long and 4000lbs, Heavy duty would be anything from medium duty up to 30ft long and 10000lbs, and finally Extra Heavy duty would be anything above 30ft long or 10000lbs.

But of course classifications don't mean shit unless you have training. So for Tier 1 licensing you would have 8 hours of training, mostly hands on. You would spend the day at a closed off parking lot and get the feel of how a car handles and reacts. You would have to slam on the brakes from different speeds, accelerate, swerve, and maybe even be forced to learn stick. This would make people understand how a car reacts and what to expect. I would have 2 types of cars there too, one with all the newest safety technology (ABS, collision avoidance, TCS, etc.) and one with none of it, again so people understand not all cars react the same. And maybe throw in an oil slick stop to simulate stopping on ice/snow. Same thing with Tier 1 trailers.

Tier 2 licensing (both vehicles and trailers) would require 12 hours of training, including some classroom training explaining and showing the physics of cars (like showing how a larger, heavier vehicle requires more energy to stop.

Tier 3 licensing (vehicles and trailers) is where we start getting into SUVS and Pickups. This tier would require 16 hours of training plus a course about how bigger doesn't always mean safer (safety ratings mean more).

Finally Tier 4 licensing would require 24 hours of training in everything from an F750 to those big ass motorhomes being driven by grandpa who can barely see the road.

F@$* me...that's enough thinking for one day. I'm gonna go drink a beer now

Oh...before I forget...I don't really hate bro-trucks, just the drivers who suck. Actually any drivers who suck, bro-truck or not...it's just a lot easier for someone in a huge truck to hurt someone. I think people should drive what they like, everyone else should STFU and drive what they like.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/20/2014 at 22:13

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OMG my Taurus SHO qualifies as heavy duty, lol.

But seriously, I used to live in the Netherlands and it takes like 2000 euro's to get a license and it's perfectly normal, probably expected, that you'll fail the first time they do you final test, so you have to give them even more money and then after cost of 3 Geo Metro's you finally have your license.

Oh and you have to be 18 and I moved to the US when I was 19 and never needed or got a license there. THen I move to the US, since I am over 18 it only took my FIFTEEN DOLLARS to get a license, I could then travel to the Netherlands and drive an automobile, because they assume that because a country, such as the US, deemed me able to drive, that I wouldn't crash.

I didn't actually do this, the first time I drove in the Netherlands was actually several years after I got my license, but the fact remains, I could've.

N/A POWAAAHH > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/20/2014 at 22:17

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In canada, I think you can only tow single axle trailers on a standard licence. So no big campers, no car trailers.

StoneCold > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/20/2014 at 22:24

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Aren't they only 4300 lbs-ish?

Telumektar > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/20/2014 at 22:43

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In Uruguay, where I am, you have to be 18 years or older in order to be allowed to do a mandatory 15-classes practical course (about 20 hours, so not that much) + 3 theory classes. This allows you to do the test

The practical course consists on driving through the city in a manual car, parking, signaling and all that plus a (new) "slalom course" which looks like a pretty slow autocross circuit.

Passing the test, which costs about $80 (the whole course costs about $500) gets you an A-level driver's license good for two years, the first time (then the local DMV will renew it for $20, good for another 10 years). This allows you to drive a 9-passenger vehicle, commercial vans and pickups, etc., also pulling a trailer (for a maximum combined weight of 4000 Kg).

The test is rather easy (a theory and laws/norm test and a practical test) and classes DO NOT prepare you for driving a small van or anything like that, and certainly does not cover highway driving. So while being better than the US standard I say it still is not sufficient to provide good drivers (I do not consider myself that good a driver)

There are 4 other licenses for those who need to carry more passengers or more weight, and another one for taxi drivers and professional drivers.

Strangely enough motorbikes do get divided into three different categories based on engine volume in CCs.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/20/2014 at 22:44

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I don't think they are quite that heavy, but yea new cars are getting pretty fat. My thinking with the 5000lbs for Heavy Duty was to get full size pickups in that group

bhardoin > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/20/2014 at 22:48

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I always thought it would be best divided by power. That way you also get rid of the asshat M3/GT500 drivers. Something like, <120 is basic, <200 is mid power, <400 is high power, and >400 or over 5000 kilos is oversize.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > bhardoin 03/20/2014 at 22:52

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Yea I'd be for including that in the division, but weight needs to be the biggest factor I think. I mean an M35 military truck only has about 170hp but weighs over 13000lbs (not a great example since it would fall in the over 5000kilos category) but still, you get the point

duurtlang > N/A POWAAAHH 03/21/2014 at 00:08

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It's somewhat similar in the Netherland, where I live. With a regular licence you can only tow a one axle trailer, and only when the whole combination of tow vehicle + loaded trailer doesn't exceed 3500 kg. Oh, and all (ALL) vehicles towing something are restricted to a 90 km/h speed limit. Even on unrestricted parts of the German Autobahn.

duurtlang > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/21/2014 at 00:13

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Honestly, I think your tier system is a bit too complicated and your licencing demands too conservative. On a closed course you only learn vehicle control, but it's coping with traffic that's the hardest part. I'd require 15 hours in real traffic with a licensed instructor in the passenger seat the bare minimum for the most basic of licenses. But that just might be my European perspective.

JasonStern911 > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/21/2014 at 00:46

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F*** that! If I can drive an automatic Miata for two miles while committing less than ten traffic violations, I should be allowed to drive a truck with duallys towing a fifth wheel. Pussy talk like that is why they don't allow Kei cars. 'MURICA!

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > duurtlang 03/21/2014 at 08:01

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I had thought about that. I could see doing that with the heavier vehicles, but that would start getting a bit too expensive and in many areas of the US it's nearly impossible to not have a vehicle so I don't think the US would be able to justify a very expensive entry level license since many would not be able to afford it then.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > StoneCold 03/21/2014 at 09:08

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WHoops! I miss-remembered by about 1000 pounds. Hopefully I don't do this with women in my life at some point. Haha. Sorry SHO!

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/21/2014 at 09:08

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I was wrong, I miss remembered my cars weight, by about 1000 pounds...

Stephen the Canuck > N/A POWAAAHH 03/21/2014 at 19:37

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In Ontario, I'm 99.9% sure there is no axle restrictions. My dad with just a G (regular) licence was able to tow a 28 foot 5th wheel camper (double axle) behind a pickup with a 14 foot boat on a trailer behind the camper.

The back of my G licence only shows restriction by weight. Vehicle and Trailer combined weight is maxed at 11,000kg, with a max towed vehicle weight of 4,600kg. I believe you can tow as much as you want so long as it isn't over 60 or 80 feet in length (or something like that).

N/A POWAAAHH > Stephen the Canuck 03/21/2014 at 20:44

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That's probably it then. I'm in Ontario too, I've just never had to look up restrictions for trailers.

Stephen the Canuck > N/A POWAAAHH 03/21/2014 at 20:58

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I had a Traffic class when I did Police Foundations and we covered that a bit. I could always crack out my copy of the Highway Traffic Act. Or google it.

It does kind of amaze me that with a G class licence I can tow a trailer that is towing another trailer. They did that on Canada's Worst Driver one time.

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/23/2014 at 02:38

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I agree fully, in fact I've been saying basically the same thing.

But another huge failure in our system is lack of training in emergency maneuvers. Right now, most people find their car's limits as they're careening down an embankment to certain death. We also need training in different weather conditions.