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All these nice cars and I had none other than a dark green 2001 Saturn Sl..this would have been about 2010, Seemed like a decent car but didn't have enough power to get out of it's own way. Once while doing the obligatory highway segment, as I was accelerating to enter the highway, the instructor told me to step on it, I replied that it was already on the floor! We had the second brake pedal, and the only time the instuctor needed to use it, I was already leaving black streaks (a vw bug pulled out in front of us) and after I stopped he smiled and said good job. So far so good, going on 10 years driving and not so much as a parking ticket! Never even been pulled over. Now they have some NICE cars around here for driver's ed, I've seen Chargers, Chrysler 300's, an orange H2 Hummer, saw a brand new Buick the other day, and I've even seen a Mercedes. A friend's son just got his license and said one of the vehicles he drove in driver's ed was a Cadillac escalade! I'd be afraid to give some of these kids anything nice! I say let them drive a big car with a small engine! I'd say a minivan with a small 4 cylinder and crank up windows should suffice.
 
it was a long time ago...

the first car I ever "drove" was my mother's 1962 Ford Anglia, the one with the reverse slope rear window. I was about 11 or 12 and was allowed to inch it up and down the driveway to learn to use the clutch.
we didn't have Drivers Ed at school (most Aussie schools still don't AFAIK) so my driver education was going out with my mother in her car, by then a 1974 Renault 12 which I loved and which eventually became mine. It was manual trans with a long gear lever and beautiful comfy seats. It was a great car to learn in, it gave nice feedback as if it were talking to you.If fuelled my love of French cars that continues today.
I also got a bit of practise in my sister's 1978 Ford Escort, again manual trans, the 1.6 Kent engine. It was a very lively car, lots of fun to drive. My sister was still on a probationary license so it was illegal for her to be my qualified driver in the passenger seat, but we did it many times. Don't tell anyone... the Escort was bright orange with a black vinyl interior, we nicknamed it "the Jaffa." Australians and new Zealanders will know why, others click the link...

I had 2 professional lessons, they were in a little Mazda 1500 or 1800. They were a pretty little car but as dull as a cold bath to drive. It was a floor shift so I think that makes it an 1800.

At the time if you did your driving test in an automatic, you got an auto-only licence, not sure if that is still the case or not.

In Australia we have a probationary licence for the first three years, in some states for the first year you can't drive faster than 80 km/h and can't carry more than one passenger in the car.
Back in my day the probationary period was severe, max speed 80km/h (50mph); ANY driving infringement and you would automatically lose your licence and have to start a learners permit again. You could go to court to plead that losing a licence would be too detrimental, in my case I got caught thrashing my Morris 1100 at 100 in a 60 zone, and had to face court as losing a license meant I would not be able to get to university or to the volunteer work I was doing on weekends. I had to get a barrister which cost a lot more than I could afford, and got character references to say I was a good kid, and I was let off with a good behaviour bond and a fine...phew!!

My first car of my own was an Austin 1800 which I bought from a neighbour for $50. I loved it! Slow as a wet week to get up to speed, but once you wound it up you didn't have to slow down for corners as it great handling with the hydrolastic suspension.

 
No driver's ed classes in the NL either. My driving instructor was supposed to be the best in town, but he wasn't very patient with older women who came to him to learn to drive, except when they were learned fast. He would praise them endlessly.

I learned to drive in an Audi 80, see picture, same model, same color.

foraloysius-2019080106485801053_1.jpg
 
A row of Ford Mavericks is the first thing I remember walking by (all having a floor shifter to be easily operated by driver as well as the instructor) then Escorts & Tempos years later when I took drivers ed (by that time everything had the gear shift mounted on the floor) and I would guess floor shifter-equipped Ford Fairmonts were used in between...

As for the Escorts, three of each were used on the range, one on the road, while also for the Tempos, one on the range and three on the road... (I was in the oddball group who got the one Escort & one Tempo opposite of the three in the latter courses)

I won't get into any details about how I did in driver's ed, though I probably just did, as that was the first time, (I attended the 2nd session, I wasn't ready for the 1st, I turned down an offer to switch to if "Big Brandy" was going to be in the class & deviate my concentration, so I had "Li'l Babbie" to really test keeping my concentration level intact) I took it, then the 2nd time, we may have just only driven Ford Tempos, I somehow don't remember...

But "Surprise!", that 2nd time on the last day of the course (this time Attended the 1st session,sot hey would let me retake it 2nd if I didn't pass) the instructor said "I am passing you", though I think he had to hit that passenger side brake as I was backing out (slowly, and cautiously, though) and the "Needs Help" I had previously gotten on my report card (among other things, though made "Poor" on others) made my only "Excellent", while I got the middle, and next-highest marks on the rest of the criteria...

Some of the instructors were our teachers who voluntarily worked during the Summer, others you only saw and had during the course and you had one that taught the class and the range, while a different one was your instructor on the road...

So my first time I had an instructor in the classroom and range (who made me retake a required test, we were all supposed to pass, of which I memorized the letters in the multiple-choice of the answer to, as opposed to the "How are supposed to study?" he asked me, when I didn't comprehensively write word-for-word, what he wanted) and the road instructor, who were both exclusively drivers ed teachers (& the road instructor, though rather tough and easily flunked me, I sadly read about him passing away, a few years back)...

While the second time, the class & range was my gym teacher (at just at the elementary school I attended in 3rd grade) who had gone right on to being the high school athletic coach, soI frequently saw him from the time I attended HS in 9th grade, on... And it being a small world, he frequently shopped at the store I used to work at, and coincidentally his two granddaughters attended the same overnight camp, that my daughter went to saw we saw each other there at least dropping out girls off, but somehow not picking them up...

The road instructor I had was notoriously tough on one friend of mine in school, a couple grades older than I was but at leastI'd passed, whereas that first time my classmate had taken driver's ed, it was his last, so he'd flunked & just didn't drive (only walked & took the bus every where) but maybe given that I hadn't seen him in a number of years, probably just went ahead going to his local Secretary of State & took an exam; don't know...

One gal across the street, who'd similarly took driver's ed two-times like I did & flunked both times, hired Sears to teach her to drive, around the first time I was taking driver's ed in school, and fortunately that time passed... I think with the way Ford does sponsor drivers ed courses, she may have driven an Escort as well, and I don't know if our dealer that provided the cars at the school offered a discount for buying its cars, I probably should have enquired...

These days, I don't think any school districts offer drivers ed courses, if you want to learn to drive, you have to hire the one of many companies & private services, that I see their cars of on the road...

-- Dave
 
Impalas, Kingswood Estates, and Town & Country wagons for driver's ed!? Wow, that's something I never would have imagined, especially the Impalas. Had a '96 with the LT-1 engine package. The size and big V-8s in those with 14-year olds behind the wheel would scare the crap out of me as an instructor. We had 1985 Mercury Lynx hatchbacks for drivers ed cars. Took the driving tests in them too. I remember the instructors were always the football coaches. None of the other teachers ever did it for some reason. I'm sure the coaches liked the extra cash.
 
Mine was a 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity CL just like the one pictured here.  It had the 2.8 MPFI V6 and was a fun car to drive.  The seats (as pictured) were very nice as well.

joelippard-2019080119595204488_1.jpg

joelippard-2019080119595204488_2.jpg
 
1961 4 door Chevrolet Corvair with Powerglide

My family had a 1952 Chevrolet DeLuxe sedan with manual transmission, 1950 Plymouth wagon with manual, and 1961 Chevrolet Impala with 283 V8 and Powerglide. At school we had the 1961 Corvair. I wanted to drive it on the freeway and floor it to use the passing gear. Those powerglides wouldn't go into passing gear above 45 mph so it was a disappointment. I wished for a nice Cadillac or Pontiac with the 4 speed Hydramatic Drive those had great passing gears. My brother let me drive the Plymouth so I could learn to drive a stick, out on country roads, no permit. I took the test in the Impala and we did have to parallel park in those days, not now. Oh and the 1952 Chevy had push button start, a much touted feature now. None of our cars had a radio, my brother bought a factory AM radio and installed it in the Impala so we wouldn't be completely embarrassed. No Air conditioning. I think the Impala had power steering but that's it.
 
“ we did have to parallel park in those days, not now.”

I’ve always liked to parallel park. The neighbor that taught me to parallel park was a logging truck driver, great teacher, always patient. By the time I went for my drivers license test I was completely confident in my ability to parallel park.

And to this day, 52 years later, every time I parallel park I still hear Stan’s voice in my head, telling me just what to do. I never pass up an opportunity to prove that I can still do it, first try every time. It’s really easy if you know you can do it. I used to even parallel park my 55’ Cadillac Coupe De Ville in downtown San Francisco, with all the traffic, and it never phased me. Now, a lot of drivers couldn’t parallel park if their lives depended upon it. And lots of new cars will park themselves, something I’d have a hard time trusting LOL.

Eddie
 
We learned 4 special proceedings during driving lessons. Parallel parking was one, the others were parking backwards into a garage, driving backwards around a corner and turning in a narrow street. Only one of those proceedings were done at the exam, I forgot which one I got.

I can do parallel parking, but I noticed something odd though. Parking a smaller car isn't necessarily easier. I guess it depends on a lot of factors like the power steering and how much you have to turn the wheel but also the wheelbase of the car. Although both cars are small in American eyes, my Volkswagen Polo was easier to park than my Smart.
 
Oh boy I feeling rather ancient too

It was 1978 I started to learn in a 1976 Ford Escort 1100 cc it was January as the driving instructor was a busy man and he had a queue of people wanting to learn. First lesson was awful as it was still snowing and there was slush everywhere, The car was steamed up as NO ac nor power anything. it was of course a manual as Automatics were for the Hoy palloy as were always more expensive and in those days rather rare. I also was taken out with Mum and Dad and each had their own way of yelling at you and each having a totally different car. Dad had a Grey Minivan with only 2 front seats it was noisy to say the least with a gear stick that came out the front of the car near the pedals it was known as " Pudding stirrer " due to it being very loose and sloppy, Mum had the family car which back then was a bright red Austin Allegro of course that was the one I ran into the gate post with ... Not a popular person. It was great getting extra experience though as having 3 different cars to learn in it made it easier to pass my test on the hottest day in August 1978 I do recall having a lady examiner and she was notorious for being strict, As we headed to the worst road in town where I always stalled the car on the hill she asked me to pull over under the shade of a big Oak tree, Shit I thought she is going to make me drive up this horrible hill however she said that was not so bad Mr Crump and I am happy to tell you that you have passed. We had to do all the manoeuvres Louis mentioned the backing around a corner parralel park turn in the road called the a 3 point turn an emergency stop. So glad it was over and have done HGV since that was scary too lol
 
Reverse around a corner...seriously??

 

<span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I learned to drive in 1970 in Ohio.  This certainly wasn't part of our training or test.  What's the purpose?  I've been driving for what feels like a thousand years and I don't think I've ever had a reason to do this.  And now, with all the back up and 360 view cameras I can't imagine I'd need this skill.</span>
 
Reverse around a corner...

 

<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">I certainly didn't mean this in a bad way or to offend anyone but I am genuinely trying to understand what relevance this would have in learning to drive.  I am trying to remember any time where I had to back up around a corner.  It's really not a big deal I'm just curious.</span>
 
Seems like a good idea to me for the Drivers License test to include backing around a corner as a skill the applicant is able to perform. It demonstrates the ability to backup under what for many may be
unusual conditions, but the ability to be able to do so could be a life saver in some emergency conditions. And I’ll bet most new drivers would be hard pressed to perform this maneuver.

With self driving cars a reality now, once they become prevalent, driving skills will eventually go right down the toilet.

Eddie
 
I didn't even have to parallel park for my DL test.  I hate to parallel park.  It's not as bad now with backup cameras and park sensors like on my Lincoln or doing it in my Beetle that doesn't have a rear end.  Tony has always driven big cars like Cadillacs or Lincoln Town Cars so he can park them in the tightest spaces.  My mother can't really parallel park well either and she taught me how to drive.  But we didn't have parallel spaces down home so I didn't really get to practice.  That's why I like small cars for city driving.
 
History

In the Netherlands a driving license became mandatory in 1907. In the beginning there were no exams, you just had to apply for one and then you got one. When my grandfather applied for one in 1924 he was asked which licenses he wanted. He said for a car and a motor, so he got those. In 1927 driving tests were introduced. According to my father he didn't have to do much more than drive forward and backward in 1949. Ofcourse he had lots of experience by then, he started driving at 14. lol
 

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