We all hate crossing paths with student drivers, but it’s a necessary evil. After all, we still haven’t figured out how to teach teens to drive without allowing them to get on an actual road with ... well ... us. Unfortunately, there's little that can protect us (or pedestrians or buildings, for that matter) from the student driver. Don't believe us? Here are five stories that prove our point:
#1) Not All Windows Are Drive-Through Ones
You have to pity the owners of coffee shops and convenience stores: they get turned into accidental drive-through windows a lot. In this particular video, a 15-year-old student driver, whose name was kept out of the papers for obvious reasons, lost control of her vehicle and -- before she could correct it -- suddenly turned the coffee shop into an open-air venue. Fortunately, the only thing wounded was her pride. Her instructor's career and her parents’ auto insurance were probably somewhat dented, too.
#2) The Worst Possible Fender Bender
As you can tell by the photo, the 19-year-old in New Jersey had the absolute worst fender bender one can have this early in a driving career: a run-in with an officer of the law.
Despite what you may think, she didn't actually run a red light. She simply overshot her turn, running into the officer before either realized what was happening. Fortunately for her, the officer was okay, and no charges were filed. On the other hand, it's probably a bad idea for her to speed. Ever.
#3) We Understand, We Want To Do That To The DMV Too
Roseville, CA, is a quiet town with a Department of Motor Vehicles office, meaning it's the source of much frustration and boredom. But a student driver managed to liven up the day considerably when he nearly knocked over a wall by backing into it.
Yes, he pulled the classic mistake: thinking he'd set the car in “drive” when he'd really set it in “reverse”. As far as consequences go, he had to pay for the wall and retake his driver's ed course. Oh, and, for some reason, he also failed his test that day. Go figure.
#4) Pedestrians Don't Need the Crosswalk Anyway, Right?
Over in Livermore, they had an accident involving the most dreaded of all student driver tasks: the left turn.
This 20-year-old man had everything all set: no traffic was coming, the light was green, and he was ready to go. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that pedestrians get to cross the street too, and actually turned into six of them.
Luckily, he was turning slowly from a full stop, so nobody was seriously injured, although several people went to the hospital for observation. The driver, meanwhile, was forced to bone up on proper crosswalk etiquette, namely that you can only pull into the crosswalk when pedestrians aren't around.
#5) Motorcycles Are Not Worth “Points”
Finally, we have this video, although to be fair, it's not entirely the student driver's fault. If you look closely, you'll notice that the motorcycle is trying to illegally pass the student driver...right as the student driver tries to illegally pass the car in front of him, forcing the motorcycle off the road. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but we hope somebody explained “solid line, dotted line” to the would-be driver.
If you need car insurance, check out SafeAuto.com.
Image Credit:
http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2011/06/jersey_city_student_driver_cra.html
http://www.personal-injury-san-francisco.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Roseville-Car-Accident-Attorneys.jpg
http://www.hatersbehatin.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Pedestrians.jpg
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