Mark in Baltimore

Wah, wah.

pedsurg

Agree with Larry and Mike (in first two responses). So much so that I'm against promoting tipters to solo.
(Uni-ambulo Mike excepted, of course)

jack

amaist

Maybe there should be a qualification when someone gets promoted to black with an automatic car. I know many European licenses write on the license if you passed the test only with an auto. Then you can't legally drive a manual car. Dreaming of such "elitist" innovations in North America makes me a hopeless romantic. Here a chimp can pass the test and drive a 7000 lbs SUV. The idea is to let the insurance companies and lawyers to sort out the resulting mess. (sorry about that )

DarkSideDE

amaist

I know in South Carolina they don't mark what kind of a car you drive, but many, many years ago, when i received my first license in New York State, if you drove a manual it was marked on your license, if you drove an automatic, you could not drive a stick. It's been a long time - so have they changed the driver licenses up there?

I wonder what other states have this practice.

M758

The track is not the street. To be promoted to a upper run group takes skil and enough understanding to not drive with your head up you a$$. I would expect that any driver at this level be able to use their own judgement on if they need to move down if they get a new car or go from auto to manual.

I don't think we need to baby sit every on in DE land. Novice first timers yes, but if you made to black you should have good sense about you.

srf506

Mussberger,
Right back at you! After three days at Sebring or Moroso my right ankle could've had "Goodyear" painted on it and hung over the track. It would take about three days of ice and Advil to get it back into "shape".

SundayDriver

When I raced SRF, I added some material to the brake pedal so I could Side-by-Side on the brake and gas - I much prefer that style - much easier on the ankles. The little hook on the gas pedal never got in the way - I never needed it, but it was reassuring to have it there.

Mike S.

Oh sure....we've made some great changes to our NYS drivers licenses. We charge you lots more $$$ now and maybe someday if good ole' Gov. Spitzer gets his way, we'll have one in the hands of every illegal alien in the state...

911pcars

Perhaps we place too much importance on the meaning of a drivers license. Why get upset about a source of potential revenue (insurance) attached to issuing them. A DL doesn't have to connote legitimacy of any sort other than recognizing a minimum level of driving skill and the possession of adequate insurance, no more, no less.

If the govt. wants to identify legal residents and/or have a verifiable system for identification, to apply for credit cards, library cards, discount cards, Starbucks cards, to purchase fire arms, etc., they could issue a legal residence card to those who qualify. And for those who decry the issuance of national ID cards, then what is the current drivers license if not an ID card?

MHO,
Sherwood

Mike S.

Sherwood,

Just a little complaining on my part, NYS seems to have never seen a tax or fee it doesn’t like…we have the 3rd most onerous personal state and local tax levy in the nation.

Your recommendation for a nation ID is spot on. So too is your comment re a DL…it really only indicates a legitimate driver.

The reality is this, due to the absence of national ID system, drivers licenses, at least in NYS, have become the primary means of formal identification. In particular, this includes important activities such as voting and border crossing (into Canada), The former is the real reason why Spitzer (Dem) floated the plan to allow illegal aliens to receive a drivers license. In NYS, only a NYS DL is required to vote. No proof of (US) citizenship is required to vote. The understanding and belief is that this “new” voting block, estimated to be many, many 100,000’s in number, would align itself with the Dem. party.

Mike

Bull

This thread is a bit like trying to watch an old nutty putty ball travel around.....

Now, everyone go out and learn to drive a 1970 Land Rover Type II A and you will be just fine.

DarkSideDE

First Mike, I'd like you to know there were two incidents with taxes I witnessed. One back in 1987 or 88 - when the 4% excise tax to publishers from printers and typographers was ended - we had paid off the bond! The other was during the Koch administration - his folks wanted a "wasterpaper" tax. He expected local government to examine every office a levy a tax based on how many wastepaper baskets were placed - it never went through.

The one tax I always wanted them to repeal - was during the Beame administration. Our sales tax was upped from almost 2% and the day after it became effective - Beame said he made a mistake. As the former comptroller of NYC he was aware of bank accounts that he somehow managed to forget existed. We were given the tax (no vote) because the city was facing bankruptcy -- and oh my, it wasn't! But that's politics. This is driver ed!

I'm curious after a day of heel and toeing - what do you think of a social?

P.S. National ID cards brings up images of **** Germany. In SC if you do not drive, you are welcome to go to the DMV and get a picture ID of yourself. Now back up in NYC - many folks don't drive, I know, can you believe it? For them, a picture ID card (what no passport?) would be a good thing....

Brian P

Having gone from a tiptronic to a manual, I don't see what the big deal is. It took me about 50 days to learn how to drive on the track (yes, I'm a slow learner). It took one event to then learn how to add H/T to that.