by Louis Albornoz

Created on: March 03, 2007   Last Updated: December 05, 2008

New York is full of bad drivers. Actually, New York may have some of the worst drivers in the world. I think the primary reasons for this phenomenon are insufficient driver training mandates and the lax requirements for obtaining a driver's license. Let's take a look at the former issue first.

A five hour pre-licensing class from a commercial driving school is the only driver training currently required by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles before it issues a driver's license. This mandatory five hour driving class is a joke. You pay a fee to a driving school to watch a video and there usually isn't even a quiz on what you have watched. Countless people fall asleep at this "driving class" and still get their certificate of completion. The driving schools only care about collecting their fee.

Furthermore, since lessons from a driving school are not required by the state of New York, countless people get their driving lessons from friends or relatives. Sadly, these friends and relatives usually don't know how to drive properly either. This leads to awful driving skills being passed on from one person to the next and creates an endless chain of terrible drivers.

The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles should mandate four weeks of driving school as a minimum for anyone wanting to be licensed in the Empire State. Increased driver education and training will lead to better drivers, period.

Now to the issue of lax licensing requirements; an applicant must pass a simple vision test, a multiple choice written test, and a road test in order to receive a NY State driver's license. The road test is what really allows so many poor drivers to get on our roads. I don't know if the DMV has a licensing quota but too many clueless applicants pass the road test.

The road test that is currently used (2007) is too easy. It's not effective at determining true driving ability since it is administered on deserted or low traffic streets. I'm sure that only a fraction of people taking the road test would pass if it were given under real life conditions.

How about making license applicants navigate the busiest part of town during rush hour? Make sure to throw in a swarm of angry cabbies, a few suicidal bike messengers, and some pedestrians crossing on red while yapping on their cell phones. Applicants should also have to parallel park into a tight space in less than thirty seconds.

Completing this sort of test successfully would earn you a New York State driver's license. How does that sound?

I think there would be a lot less traffic and many happier motorists if this was the actual road test instead of what we have now. Another issue is that an applicant can bypass most of the New York licensing process altogether. They can simply trade in a driver's license from another state or even Canada and become a motorized menace.

So there you have it - New York's government is mostly to blame for the huge number of lousy drivers that clog our roads.

There are a few superb and courteous drivers in New York but you don't see them often. To them I say - keep up the good work and continue to set the example for everyone else. Signaling is not a lost art!

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