Driving Test

I just took my first European driving test yesterday. And obviously, since I'm describing it as my 'first', I failed it. Now, in America most people do not fail the driving test. That is because it is EASY in America. Here, hardly anyone passes it the first time. In fact, the test 'centre' (that's me being European) I went to only has a 44% pass rate. So when I went in I was more likely to fail than to pass.

But, here is the good news: I can still drive, without a licensed driver in the car. I can drive my kids around. In Ireland, since you have to wait such a long time for a driving test (I had to wait over a year between when I applied for a test and when I got an appointment) if you have been on a provisional (learner's) license for more than 2 years, you can drive unaccompanied. It doesn't matter if you've had any lessons, or how close you have come to passing the test, or if you've even applied to take one. So it really doesn't matter if you pass the test or not.

Which is good news for the 66% of us who don't. Isn't it weird that the test expects super-competency and is very difficult to pass, but the law doesn't actually require that level of competency to drive? Of course, failing people (so they have to re-book and take another test) does insure the testers will have a job to do in the future...