My daughter Amna has not only been nagging me to get a driving license for the last couple of years, but has already selected the car I will buy her on her successfully passing her driving test! Typical of the twit. Anyway, as she is approaching 18, I finally folded and took her to get a provisional driving license this morning.
I was immediately impressed as we entered the Traffic Directorate’s building; the offices were clearly sign-posted and the designated office has an automated queueing system in place. Brilliant, this is going to be easy.
Not wanting to bother the guy at reception and in the presence of the numbers vending machine marked with only two buttons: “Counter” and “Eye Test” I selected the “Counter”, it spewed the number and we sat down awaiting our turn. Our number came up within 15 minutes, “we’ll finish in no time” I happily thought – as I must confess that initially I have vacated the whole morning for this exercise.
Unfortunately as we sat at the counter the clerk pointed out that she should have done the eye test first! Great! Well, it’s my fault for being too confident and thinking that the Counter clerk would first vet all the documents, ascertain the applicant’s eligibility and only if that process is complete would he send the candidate to the formal eye test. Nope, one does the eye test first and only if that is successful the other conditions are looked into.
Back to the vending machine to get an “Eye Test” number this time, we went and waited in the allocated area. Fortunately for us, it seemed that the eye test process doesn’t take longer than 50 seconds, so it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to get to our turn. Amna suggested that in order to save time, she should remove her contacts. I thought that was fair enough, she removed her eyes and I handed her back the documents to take in with her.
Her number came up and off she went, but instead of it taking the usual 50 seconds, it took about a couple of minutes. On her exit from the office and looking at her face, I knew that something was amiss:
- “Everything okay?”
- “No, I need to come back and bring my glasses for the eye test!”
- “WHAT?! No way! I thought they would check your eye sight in there to find out how you could see things
without your glasses!”
- “Yeah, I thought so too, but, well, they don’t.”
- “Okay, where are your glasses?”
- “At home.”
- “What? You carry a handbag as big as a suitcase and you leave your glasses at home?”
- “Well I usually have them in the bag, but I cleaned it out yesterday.”
- “Okay, fine, do you have a spare set of contacts?”
- “Yes. At home!”
- “Damn. Okay, let’s drive back and get them, hopefully we’ll finish today.”
Off we went to get her glasses, but not only that, she decided that she would wear a new set of eyes and get a spare set just in case.
I just couldn’t believe that they actually test the candidate’s eye sight with glasses or contacts. What would they achieve with that other than ascertaining that the person can actually see with their optical aids? Would a person intentionally use glasses or contacts that would render their sight useless? What could this “test” possibly achieve and what is the logic behind it? The mind boggles. I put it down to procedure and bureaucracy.
Within the hour we were back, got another chit and fortunately as the place was a lot less congested, she was in to the “optician” with her contacts on, glasses clutched in hand and she was out in even less than 50 seconds!
“That was fun,” she said, “I barely read out two letters while covering the other eye, he signed the paper and that was it!”
I looked at the paper and could not believe the stupidity of the situation.
My daughter has perfect eyesight with her contacts in!
6/6 in all departments!
Me very very happy!
What the hell was all this about? Shouldn’t someone look into this stupidity? Am I missing something here? I’m not objecting to the eye test if it is done properly, for instance, checking the eye sight of a person who claims that s/he doesn’t use glasses but in fact s/he should, but if someone says that they do use contacts/glasses, what good is this test for? Even better and taking into consideration the cursory examination people are subjected to, why not cut out this queue and just install a chart at the counter and test people there and if the clerk notices that the candidate’s eye sight wanting, only then send them over to the “proper optician”? If more stringent tests are required, why not install a machine at the counter for a “go/no-go” decision? I am sure that this simple change would improve the efficiency even more.
Anyway, I am doubly assured now that my daughter’s eye sight is perfect – with optical enhancers. She’s got a good optician.
Back to the counter we go and within a few minutes we paid the required BD34.5 (including BD5 for the “Eye Test”) and left the building.
The whole process – including the return trip home – took less than a couple of hours. Not bad.
Now she’s got to attend a lecture on road safety and we need to find a good driving instructor. Any suggestions?
Comments
that’s not bad enough! you should bring all necessities when going there.. last week i went to change my number plate and i was going to pay by credit card.. the cashier told me go pay in another counter.. i don’t have the machine here.. what a cashier! and guess what.. the other man of the other counter went praying.. after waiting for more than 20 mints.. we broke the heart of the man at the 3rd counter and he said.. ok you can pay here..! and he was silent the whole period.. after paying and going back to mr. cashier.. he says.. la la.. go back to the counter you paid and ask him to print the receipts for u since u paid there! what the..! going back the man thankfully prints the receipts although he’s not the cashier and i am out of misery!
Mahmood, not everyone has 6/6 or 20/20 vision even with glasses or contacts. I for one could barely pass the exam with my glasses on. My glasses power is +12. Yup, PLUS TWELVE.
I think it makes perfect sense to me to have your eyes tested, with whatever aid you use, because that is what you WILL be using when driving. If you do use any aid, it will be printed on your license, and you will get a ticket if you are not using it.
And because it only takes 30 seconds to get get your eyes tested, it also makes sense to have that done first. In case you fail the eye test, there is no need to do anything else, and you would not have wasted all the time with the other paperwork.
So the process seems perfect the way it is actually.
My 2 cents worth
If you normally wear glasses or contacts, that’s how you should be tested. Otherwise about a third of the population would fail. There are enough people whose eyesight is still not good enough for safe driving even when they are wearing their glasses.
Maybe they should also test a woman’s ability to drive while she is putting on her makeup. 😈
-Ibn
What a waste of time and resources.
I know in the UK, you just get asked during your driving test whether you can read a number plate some distance ahead. If you can’t (with glasses or without glasses) then you automatically fail and told to get ur eyesight tested.
The problem is with a system that has no feedback mechanisms, customer/user/patient evaluation channels which can flag up an inconvenience like this. Once the process is done in a particular way, it’s hard to change it or improve it and they’re set in their ways.
It’s a shame really, if they improved their processes, reduced customer time, got a higher turnover, they could encourage creativity and new ideas, innovation instead of imitation. This is where things matter – in citizen’s every day lives.
In California, if you wear glasses, they know you can see with your glasses, and assume that you would be wearing them while driving. The vision test checks to see if you have 20/40 vision with or without glasses. If you cannot pass with or without glasses, you are not OKed and are referred to a vision specialist. In other words, it catches people who can’t see with or without their glasses to make sure they’re not on the road.
The little vision-testing machine you suggested is already implemented in the States (or at least Michigan). They test your vision with contacts/glasses, but then there is a notation that you must be wearing them to drive… There are enough people in the world using old prescriptions for glasses or contacts that it’s probably still worth testing people who have visual aids.
Well, we do things alittle different here in Maine. People can drive around as long as they have applied for a permit and are driving with a licensed driver over 21. Most people (teenagers) take a driver’s ed class FIRST which costs about $400, and a written test is given by the instructor and then a permit is issued. There is a set amount of classroom time going over the rules of the road, and then the instructor drives with the student for a set number of hours. After all of that, parents have to certify and take the kids driving for a certain amount of hours of day and night driving times and then mail in a form for a test date. Eye exams are done ONLY before the state inspector takes you out on the road for your 20 minute road test of which a lot of young people fail. 🙄
Testing a woman’s ability to drive while putting on make up is never a problem, because the make up would clash with her L. L. Bean flannel shirt.
A great reminder that bureaucracy is bureaucracy regardless of where in the world you might encounter it! Ugh.
Congrats to your daughter, though!
just a quick tip. the road safety lecture is a complete waste of time. the guy just sits there telling you amazing anecdotes about his time as a traffic policeman.
sadly, I only know a few driving instructors in my area (sugaya/zinj) and if I remember rightly you live in saar. there’s a guy all the expat girls take but I think he may be a bit of a sleazebag. best watch out.
“Maybe they should also test a woman’s ability to drive while she is putting on her makeup. 😈
-Ibn”
or test a man’s ability to drive while he is drinking coffee, shaving, talking on the phone, getting blown. 👿
good instructors are hard to find.. mine sucked.. you know, i never found out I was supposed to break when turning until the guys examening me in the driving test told me to slow down when I turned.. lool.. cuz when driving inside the skool you dont get to go over 40 -over 10 in the place where u practice turns- and bcuz my instructor used to break for me..
my firneds instructor once fell asleep when he took her driving out of the skool, with his foot ON the gas.. poor girl didnt know what to do..
i can go on about crappy instructors for ages, but i have to say that the best thing to do is make sure her instructor takes her out into the road often.. and you might want to teach her a bit here and there as well.. let her start with driving in your neighborhood or something, just to get used to the wheel and all..
Mahmood – there are allot of things you will never learn when learning to drive in this country due to piss poor standards. You might be better positioned to teach your daughter such things on your own.
– How a car engine works and basic maintenance – ie how to check engine oil level, how to top it up etc.
– How to change a car tyre
– What form/type of insurance do you need to drive legally? Do you know what the procedures are if you get hit, or if you hit another car?
– You never learn about/study the Highway Code
– On-road emergencies
Those are just some that come to mind. I would suggest buying Amna a DVD off Amazon that will teach her all that she’ll be missing here.
We have dreadful driving standards in this country and the annual death rates due to RTAs is terrible considering how easy our roads are, and their state of maintanence pretty good! I blame the DoT. They are the sole organization for setting minimum standards, responsible for Driver training, testing, and licencing.
Apart from the modern ‘take a ticket’ you see in their admin building – fuck all has changed! 👿
Congrats to Amna. I could suggest some trusted instructed from the area (male/female) whom would pick your daughter from the door steps and returns her back (usually, 2 hours/lesson, and wouldn’t take her more than 20 hours). Will send details by email.
mdc,
A color clash, yes. Especially after she wraps her car around a tree. 😛
Mavis,
Ah yes, but I sumbit that we can accomplish all the aforementioned items with our eyes squarely on the road.
Hey dont get me wrong, im all for DMV testing us men’s abilities to drive while getting blown!
In all honesty, I find myself wondering … what exactly is it about mascara that makes people signal after they change lanes?
hahaha 😈
-Ibn
MDC;
I’ve seen fellows drive while shaving, for chrissakes. A woman might poke her eye out with a makeup pencil, but slitting your throat, well, that makes a bit more of a mess. 😈
I had this test last year when I was applying for a driver’s license. I could not make out the letters (that was when I realized that I needed to finally invest in a pair of lenses), so I just guessed my way through the test with some forced confidence. They also had a color test, and I am colorblind as well, so I just guessed as well.
Got 6/6 in all areas and my driver’s license doesn’t require me to wear any kind of optical aids! The optician was just too incompetent or bored.
oh man, that just cracks me up 🙂
really, i mean, i know we have a million incompetencies, but this one deserves a speciall mention 🙂
Moi
I didnt know people could be color-blind… Really? Or do you just mean that in jest?
-Ibn
Haha. Reminds me of a time I had an eyelid infection. They slathered my eye with some sort of cream then asked me to do an eye test. I have 20/10 vision normally but of course I couldn’t see a thing out of one eye because it was all blurry with the cream they’d just put on it, which was all in my eyelashes and so on. Idiots.
Ibn; sure, there are people who are color blind. as far as i know, though, it doesnt mean that they see in black and white. it just means they might not be able to differentiate certain colors. i think.
@ Ibn and ammaro – yes, it’s what ammaro said. My brother is red-green colourblind, which means he can’t distinguish reds and greens very well. This is a slight problem at traffic lights (red, amber, green) so he, and other red-green colourblind people, has to rely on the position of the lit lights rather than their colour. It does not debar people from driving, however.
It’s caused by a malformation of the colour-sensitivity cones in the eye and it’s thought to be genetic. It affects men much more often than women (something to do with it being genetic, attached to the X chromosome presumably).
Teach her the following:
-Hi officer, could you hold my beer while I get my license?