Therefore, the written portion is a breeze, now its time to practice for the road test. Permitted drivers under eighteen must hold their permit for six months; a requirement implemented within the last year, while those over eighteen must only wait until a notice comes in the mail to make their road test appointment. (www.dot.state.pa.us) After recalling my own tortured waiting time, and asking newly licensed friends, this waiting period for drivers eighteen and up is figured to be on average a month. .
The second step on the road to a teenage terror behind the wheel is the road test. The main objectives of Pennsylvania's road test call for the driver to show their knowledge of the car's features (lights, signals, etc.), ability to parallel park, and last but certainly not difficult, a short drive around the block. This test contradicts the seriousness of driving with its simplicity. My driving examiner put Frank Sinatra on the radio and sung while having me engage all the safety features of my car. Then we moved on to parallel parking, which I never fully grasped, and should have caused me to fail. I forgot to use a signal going in and out of the spot that I hung over a foot outside of, and was still given the go ahead to move on. I pulled out and made a right into traffic; drove up to the light, made a left, drove to the corner, made a right, and made the final left taking us back to the DMV's parking lot. Within a matter of ten minutes, I was licensed driver. I never should have made it past parallel parking, but there I was with permission to drive on any U.S. road or highway, after displaying my ability to drive around a city block. At the time, I wasn't too concerned with how I shouldn't have passed, but after four accidents within my first year of driving, I was angry at how simple the test was. The four accidents cost me two thousand dollars in deductibles and now my insurance is through the roof.
