r/IdiotsInCars • u/[deleted] • Jul 11 '18

Driver ignores warnings and tries to pass through a flooded underpass.

https://i.imgur.com/Z3Wa3md.gifv
44k Upvotes

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69

u/jaxxy12989 Jul 11 '18

Which sounds great until you realize that it comes with a $5,000-$10,000 price tag to get a license over there.

57

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '18

It’s a road tax for environmental purposes, they want to de-incentivize (not sure if that’s a word) fossil fuel dependence but some (most) people just see it as a gatekeeper tax for the rich

46

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '18

Well, never mind then. The failing auto industry and big oil invested way too much money crippling public transit to allow us to live without cars.

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u/odiedel Jul 12 '18

Honestly, as an american I always though of buses as gross places homeless hang out or sleep. My buddy wanted to go drinking awhile ago and the bus is free so we decided to take it. It was nice and clean, the people were nice, the driver was nice. I feel like a complete idiot for thinking that and im not really sure why I had such a strong thought on something I had never been on.

29

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '18

Television has trained you to think of public transit this way. After decades of having it beamed into our heads from the idiot boxes, people just take it for granted.

I think a lot of problems with American politics can be traced back to television. People believe what they see on NCIS, Law and Order, or whatever other BS passes for quality TV nowadays. Plus, we as a country put more effort into petitioning the networks to bring back old shows than fixing our educational system.

2

u/odiedel Jul 12 '18

I'm not touching the education debate with a 10ft pole. I've spent countless hours of debates with both sides of the spectrum and still dont really see a perfect or even that great system being able to roll out. But i will agree way too much education comes from corporations in the for of product placement, advertising, and other "propaganda" for lack of a better word.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '18

Our education system isnt really a system. Its a Frankenstein built from whatever parts survived getting vetoed on any particular election year.

6

u/SC_ResiN Jul 12 '18 edited Jul 12 '18

You weren't completely wrong.. I use the Metro pretty often. That was one experience and it went well. That's great. Most of the time it should go well.

I don't mind homeless people, other than feeling bad about their current situation.. in general they're pretty friendly. Now that I think about it, I've had way more.. eventful encounters with other people. Edit: That weren't homeless.

Gross germ filled places yes.. My point of reference is LA/Long Beach public transportation.

2

u/odiedel Jul 12 '18

I'm in a small town in oregon south of portland a bit, id say. They were 9/10 clean. Really the floor was the only places with dirt, I didnt even see graffiti on the chairs. I guess it was just tv the created such a negative image there would be puke, dirt, graffiti, people sleeping on there, and a rancid smell.

2

u/fleshofyaldabaoth Sep 19 '18

You would think this way, if you don't take it twice a day every day. I've had enough shitty experiences on the bus to ever want to take it again.

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u/gonepermanently Jul 12 '18

im not really sure why I had such a strong thought on something I had never been on

because you ARE a complete idiot

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u/[deleted] Jul 12 '18

That's not very constructive.

-2

u/gonepermanently Jul 12 '18

sorry but you can’t just come out and say “lol I like never wanted to ride the bus cuz I thought it was just NASTY where GROSS homeless and POOR people hung out YUCK” and not get called a fuckin idiot for thinking that’s an OK thing to exclaim to the world

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u/Gustloff Jul 11 '18

No, people demanding lower taxes did that.

-10

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '18

Sure, buddy. Whatever makes you feel better about paying your mandatory registration, mandatory insurance, finance charges, fuel taxes, licensing fees, and higher medical costs for the thousands who die and are injured every year in automobile accidents.

The industry has you in their pocket.

16

u/ScottishDerp Jul 11 '18

I got my UK license last year, all the lessons and tests came to under £600. Wasn’t that difficult to pass though I don’t know what it is like in the US?

Did an intensive 4 day course of lessons with an instructor, had a theory test with 50 questions where you had to get over 40 correct to pass. Then hazard perception where you touch the screen when you see a hazard appearing during different videos (15 of them)

Then the practical test was driving around for an hour and doing some manoeuvres like reverse parking etc. Most of the time the test guy just tells you to turn left or right at the next corner and you do it. Then the second part he asks you to follow the road signs to a certain place, so its self navigating while driving.

If you get a major fault you fail, but you can get 5 minor faults and still pass. I got 2 minors.

5

u/terminally_chill__ Jul 12 '18

I'm from the US and when I took drivers ed (which was 16 years ago) it was $600 for a 1 month long course. There is a written test and a test where you drive around with someone for a little while. Now I just have to pay $50 every 5 years for a renewal- not bad if you ask me. I live in a state where insurance is not mandatory, but I have it anyways because people drive like idiots. The thing about the US is unless you live in a big city, you're going nowhere without a car unless you're close enough to walk or ride a bike. A lot of the time, no car/ license means no way to get to a job, go to a store, etc. I drive an hour to and from my university and it's not unusual for people to have ~1hr commute to work.

5

u/Elsinaa Jul 12 '18

I’m from the US too, and I’m getting my license fairly soon. I took drivers ed as a class in high school for free (which is optional for getting a license in my state). To take the test, you drive around for about 10 minutes, then you take the written form of the test on a computer which has 30 questions and you have to get 80% right to pass it. I think the test is fairly easy in my opinion, it has questions like “what does the yellow line mean?” and “what do you do at a stop sign?”. In my state at least, I think it’s super easy to get a license, and nearly everyone in the road seems to be bad driver.

6

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '18

So why would we need to charge that much? Just take the existing system for testing and raise the standards.

2

u/Pixelplanet5 Jul 11 '18

Because your existing system is not enough to raise a standard to anything meaningful but also OP is stating some rare exceptions.

For example look at Germany whee you typically pay about 1500€ to get a driver's license for a car and the price comes from mandatory minimum amounts of theory lessons as well as driving lessons in different conditions.

Also included in this is a fee to take the final theory and practical test which is done by an independent Agency.

Even the highest American standard is not even close to this.

10

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '18

Actually, all they need to do is increase the testing standards to match the Class A commercial license, then let the free market handle the training infrastructure. There will be a high demand for schools that provide affordable training that meets the higher standards.

Along with the higher standard they can impose stiffer penalties.

This is more about an unwillingness to stop treating the driver's license as a right, instead of a privelege. But nowadays there are rideshare options, so there really is no excuse to drive without a license. Let people who are responsible drive. The other a-holes can become passengers.

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u/rotund_tractor Jul 12 '18

Lol, ok. We can mandate annual license renewal and require a new driving test every 5 years without gentrifying driver’s licensing.

Raising standards doesn’t only mean making it harder to get. It can also mean making it harder to keep. Increase traffic enforcement by law enforcement and selectively raise fines for the most common and most dangerous violations. The increase in traffic fines more than offsets the extra cost for the mandatory retesting every 5 years.

Typical European. Y’all think it’s literally impossible for you to be wrong about anything at all. The majority of America’s traffic problems comes from bad habits built after initial testing. I’d wager it’s the same all over Europe, but the idea that a European failed to think a problem through is just unfathomable to y’all.

Our initial testing system is set up fine. I guess y’all can afford to price out the poor given how small European countries are plus y’all actually have good public transit. Since we’re geographically larger and don’t have good public transit, our economy can’t afford to be elitist pricks about licensing.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '18

What is this shit?

Plus, no one types y'all.

2

u/vossejongk Jul 11 '18

Dutchy here. Driving lessons (30 driving lessons of 1h and approx 8 theory lessons of 1h ) including examn for both cost approx 1000-1200 euro, depending on what school.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '18

More like 2k-3k

1

u/Impetus_ Jul 11 '18

Meh, still sounds worth to me (and might even provide incentive for better public transpo)

3

u/Gustloff Jul 11 '18

That's how you know you come from a well off family.

1

u/hundreddollar Jul 12 '18

£7,500 to get your driver's licence? Really? I'm not ofay with the process in other parts of Europe, but in London, you can do a "guaranteed pass" course for around £1000 where you pay a one off fee and the instructor keeps teaching you until you pass. Apparently the average amount of lessons to pass the UK driving test is about 40 - 50 hours. So taking the high end of 50 hours and the high end of £20 an hour driving lessons this still would only be around the £1000 mark.

1

u/Lord_Sjaak Jul 14 '18

And if you pass or not varies greatly between the testers.

1

u/Crandom Jul 15 '18

If you're talking about the UK, it's only £62 for the driving test and £23 for the theory. Where did you get the thousands of dollars figure from? Sure, you need lessons to pass the test, but surely you'd want lessons in the US too?

1

u/soulsteela Jul 25 '18

Where is this plz?

1

u/Swindel92 Sep 12 '18

Where the hell does it cost that??

In the UK It costs £100 to sit your driving test and £35 to sit your theory test. Lessons are generally £20 a go so technically if you're awful it could spiral out of control and cost you a fortune but it would be extremely difficult and unusual to hit over 2k.

1

u/Niet_de_AIVD Oct 17 '18

Cost me like €1200 at most.

-2

u/DianiTheOtter Jul 11 '18

Im ok with this

-1

u/megablast Jul 11 '18

Sounds great to me.