I doubt there'll be any crotch rockets in his future. He took his first solo jaunt in a stake body Iveco tilt cab! He fancies the big stuff.
Ice... what's that? It's winter here mate. Temp only got down to 16C the other night.
Road Worthy Safety Program requires 30 hours in the driver's seat and 30 hours riding the desk down here. Legal driving age is 17 up north and 16 in my area. All driving permits are provisional for 3 years though regardless of what age acquired.
Legal driving age is 16 in my state. Provided that is you have passed an approved driver education program. Which consists of 20 hours classroom time and a grand total of 6 hours behind the wheel! However, youthful drivers are not permitted to drive at night or carry more than 2 passengers. Except in an emergency and if employment requires it.
Yeah, I remember how easy it was to get my driving permit there. I just showed some ID, took a multiple choice written test where 70% was passing, my exact score. A road test was next which was conducted on a closed course where I was the only driver. It consists of 3 right turns, 2 lefts, a parallel park and a 3 point turn and I was allowed to use a car with an automatic gear box. Took all of 2 minutes. Then it was back inside for a vision screen. Had to prove I had at least 20/40 vision in my good eye. Passed that one without my glasses! They took my photo and handed me a valid state driving permit enabling me to operate any private 4 wheel vehicle up to 20,000 pounds anywhere in the country. Mind you, this was only the second time I had driven a left-hand drive vehicle!
It was more an issue when I got back and started trying to drive on the right. In the states I just kept trying to change gears with the direction indicator.
I tried to buy one of those when I was there.
Left hand drives can't be registered here. Temporary 30 day use only. (Tourist, rich ones, bring their own cars sometimes)
If I'm not mistaken, didn't you get a ticket on your way home?
Actually, that was on the way to take the test. The charge was failure to yield. Now, down here a yield is what you get at harvest time. When you have to wait for the other bloke to pass the sign says, 'Give Way'. I wasn't sited though. The cop couldn't figure out how to run a foreign driving permit so he let me off with a warning.
That's the way it is in Fiji. Took me a week to figure out why people kept blowing their horns at me in the round about!
Took me a week to figure out why people kept blowing their horns at me in the round about!
It wasn't the roundabout itself, it was the 'Give Way' sign just before entering that threw me.
That's an understatement. When I was there a while back, it seemed as though in some areas there was no hard and fast rule about which side of the road to drive on. In other places obeying traffic signals and using headlamps at night seemed optional. In town it wasn't unusual to encounter 4 people on 1 motor bike or passengers riding on the outside of a vehicle. We were beginning to think indicating intentions to turn was forbidden as was braking prior to touching the bumper of the car in front. Evidently though, constant sounding of the horn is mandatory. Funny thing is, the entire time I was there I don't recall seeing one accident.
