Some great 'stories' here about long-gone day's of getting your driver's licence.
They reminded me of my story(DON'T DO AS THE RULES SAY, DO WHAT I SAY TO DO) ... Actually, it was for regaining my licence after I had lost mine(original one) after only 3 mths legally behind the wheel. I lost my original whilst on 'P - plates' when we had this ridiculous road rules rule of "must give way to your right"(at any cost) ... Some country bum 'flew' through a stop sign(but on my right) at a crossroad intersection whilst trying to read directions from the city road map book(Yep, no GPS's ... or mobiles ... then) and car-hit-me. In those day's if you had a breach of road-rules or offense or accident whilst on P-plates it WAS AN AUTOMATIC LOST OF LICENCE for 3 mths ... regardless!
Sorry, I digressed there ... Back to my story on how I regained my driver's Licence . 4 mths later(I had to get my car out 'car-hospital' 1st, right!) I was back for my driver's test. Hmmm, a serious looking (desk-clerk)Officer was given the duty to 'test' me, came out and got in my car, looked at me and then said 'drive'. I reminded him to 1st fasten his seat belt(thinking he was trying to trick me ... I'd heard of such 'tactics'); but no, just another 'look' and command to 'turn left out of the police station parking area'. So I was away ... Then very quickly came 'turn left at the 1st road ahead'(100 mtrs down the road) ... Done with precision making sure I didn't engage the indicator too early or too late. Just around the corner(no more than 80mtrs) came 'Now stop here,(pause), see that R.O.W.(right of way for those who don't know) over your left shoulder; I want you reverse up into that' . Hmmm(no.2), I realised I was too close to the curb(and remembered one the reasons for failure of a licence road test was "if you touch a curb") and it threw me for a moment ... Do I turn my steering wheel clockwise or anti-clockwise 1st to get the back-end of the car away from that curb. Anyway, I can't remember which way I turned my steering wheel 1st but I successfully negotiated the reverse up into the R.O.W. 1st attempt. Then the officer looked down at the "application" notes and simply 'asked how long had I been driving?'. (3 months remember) ... 'OK, turn right'(i.e. go back the same way we came into this street) ... and got to almost the intersection and I hear 'stop here(next to a parked car) ' ... WHAT! I was about to say, but I'll be double-parking a nd right before the intersection corner before he blurted out 'I won't be a minute; just want go in there(the local TAB right on the corner)' and got out.
Drove back to Police Station(1 min away) ... walked in with him and got my 'rubber-stamped' driver's licence back.
