2008 Woodie Awards
States should rev up qualifications for driving
Getting a driver's license is as easy as 1, 2, 3, a, b, c; the requirements should be made stricter to keep bad drivers off roads.
By: Travis Holland
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Opinion
Automobiles are not hard to operate. However, many people are horrible drivers.
Every day, people do incredibly stupid things on the road. They run red lights when other cars are in the intersection, drive down the shoulder at 80 mph to make time and weave in and out of traffic like it's NASCAR.
The solution to these problems is simple: raise standards for a driver's license. If it were harder to get a license, there would be fewer idiots on the road.
If drivers had to take a realistic road test, many would probably fail. Installing a hidden camera to follow them to work would be great. The first time they hopped a median to get out of a traffic jam or stopped in the middle of the road while trying to cross to the other side, they would fail.
A minimum IQ requirement wouldn't be a bad idea, either. On Interstate 290, I once saw a man reading a book while he drove. That's the kind of person who ought to be banned from ever touching a steering wheel.
The written test could also use some improvement. Instead of asking: "What does a red octagon sign mean?" driving tests should be difficult. They should ask the tough questions many drivers would have trouble with, like "Is it OK to have your bass so loud you can't hear an ambulance at an intersection?" I've seen plenty of drivers who would fail both.
I was sitting at a red light when a woman plowed into me at 35 mph. When I asked what she was smoking, she said, "I didn't see you there." That strikes me as odd because my 5,500-pound truck cuts a decent-sized profile. Maybe the vision test should be harder, too.
On a side note, no one with a "fart can" muffler on their vehicle should be given a driver's license. Cars that sound like angry weed eaters have been unscientifically proven to cause road rage in all human beings who do not own a fart can.
The state should also test for the presence of a brain. I remember a Ford Mustang doing 80 mph down Interstate 10 and hitting the concrete median. The side of the car was destroyed, but the driver never pulled over or got off his cell phone. People like that have problems that stretch far beyond their driving abilities and shouldn't be allowed to operate a bicycle, much less a car.
It really should be harder to get a driver's license. A good percentage of people on the road simply can't drive, and that is very irritating to those of us who can. It's the responsibility government to make driving standards higher and thin out the dummies on the road.
A word of advice to bad drivers: do society a favor and take the bus.
Every day, people do incredibly stupid things on the road. They run red lights when other cars are in the intersection, drive down the shoulder at 80 mph to make time and weave in and out of traffic like it's NASCAR.
The solution to these problems is simple: raise standards for a driver's license. If it were harder to get a license, there would be fewer idiots on the road.
If drivers had to take a realistic road test, many would probably fail. Installing a hidden camera to follow them to work would be great. The first time they hopped a median to get out of a traffic jam or stopped in the middle of the road while trying to cross to the other side, they would fail.
A minimum IQ requirement wouldn't be a bad idea, either. On Interstate 290, I once saw a man reading a book while he drove. That's the kind of person who ought to be banned from ever touching a steering wheel.
The written test could also use some improvement. Instead of asking: "What does a red octagon sign mean?" driving tests should be difficult. They should ask the tough questions many drivers would have trouble with, like "Is it OK to have your bass so loud you can't hear an ambulance at an intersection?" I've seen plenty of drivers who would fail both.
I was sitting at a red light when a woman plowed into me at 35 mph. When I asked what she was smoking, she said, "I didn't see you there." That strikes me as odd because my 5,500-pound truck cuts a decent-sized profile. Maybe the vision test should be harder, too.
On a side note, no one with a "fart can" muffler on their vehicle should be given a driver's license. Cars that sound like angry weed eaters have been unscientifically proven to cause road rage in all human beings who do not own a fart can.
The state should also test for the presence of a brain. I remember a Ford Mustang doing 80 mph down Interstate 10 and hitting the concrete median. The side of the car was destroyed, but the driver never pulled over or got off his cell phone. People like that have problems that stretch far beyond their driving abilities and shouldn't be allowed to operate a bicycle, much less a car.
It really should be harder to get a driver's license. A good percentage of people on the road simply can't drive, and that is very irritating to those of us who can. It's the responsibility government to make driving standards higher and thin out the dummies on the road.
A word of advice to bad drivers: do society a favor and take the bus.
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