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Sounds sensible to me. The US in general has super lax driving tests. Here in Denmark it's about 3 months of theoretical classes side-by-side with driving with

Sounds sensible to me. The US in general has super lax driving tests. Here in Denmark it's about 3 months of theoretical classes side-by-side with driving with a certified driving instructor. We also learn the basics of cars on a closed track, and later learn to drive in slippery conditions on the same closed tracks. The closed-track tests include being able to catch the car after pulling the handbrake in a turn while going 80 km/h (50 mph). Oh, and to actually get your license you also have to drive 45 minutes with a police official checking your every move.

ThalesX 5y ago
My friend living in Denmark, with a driver’s license from a corrupt country where literally anyone can get it, would render your whole 3-months intensive system useless. He is in fact driving, and could cause quite a crash, with all this amazing procedure you describe. We are a somewhat globalized civilization and the same as this security theatre about keeping airports open with countries with 2% vaccination rate can be said about driving.
- rasz 5y ago
  But Mum, Kevin does drugs and he is fine, why cant I?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
pandaman 5y ago
Why would you want to pull the handbrake in a turn while going 50 mph? And what is going to happen if you pull the handbrake at 50 mph other than the handbrake burning out? I have not had a car with a handbrake at all but I drove a few rentals with one and they drove normally even when I forgot to take them off the handbrake, the thing is just a lever with a wire, it cannot stop the car even on idle. Or do they use a rally car with a hydraulic handbrake that does something at that speed?
- nradov 5y ago
  The point of pulling the handbrake is to artificially trigger a slide in a controlled environment in order to verify that the student driver has the vehicle control skills necessary to recover. It's similar to what can happen driving on ice.
  - pandaman 5y ago
    So the car is supposed to slide when you pull the handbrake? This will be hard to pull off in the US where most cars have an electronic parking brake and the ones that have the actual lever have it connected to a weak drum brake that cannot lock wheels when the engine is running. Also, the whole test seems to be set up like a gold rush for lawyers - if you actually managed to slide the car and roll over at 50 mph you are almost certain to have some injuries not to mention the damage to the car. Who is liable for those, the government that ordered the driver to execute a dangerous maneuver in order to obtain a driving license? What if the driver dies from the injuries?
    - jjav 5y ago
      > So the car is supposed to slide when you pull the handbrake? Yes, that's what will happen if you brake the rear wheels (what the handbrake does) in a turn. The point isn't that you'd ever do that, of course, but to simulate the rear end of the car sliding which can happen if you hit ice, oil or even uneven water patches. Can you control that slide? It's really awesome if Denmark is including car control in the test. The US should do the same. I strongly encourage you (everyone) to find a car control clinic in your area and participate. Even a single weekend will raise your car control skills significantly if you've never had any instruction before. Newer cars have a lot of traction control magic that try to save you and often do, but there's still no substitute for the driver having skills as well. Sure the DMV manual will tell you to steer into the skid, but there's no way to learn this muscle memory without practice and the most productive practice is with a good instructor. (I used to instruct the BMW club car control clinics (open to all cars) before life got too busy, hopefully will take it up again in the future.) > Also, the whole test seems to be set up like a gold rush for lawyers OP said this was in Denmark, so presumably every little thing isn't a "gold rush for lawyers" unlike in the USA.

ThalesX 5y ago

My friend living in Denmark, with a driver’s license from a corrupt country where literally anyone can get it, would render your whole 3-months intensive system useless. He is in fact driving, and could cause quite a crash, with all this amazing procedure you describe. We are a somewhat globalized civilization and the same as this security theatre about keeping airports open with countries with 2% vaccination rate can be said about driving.

rasz 5y ago
But Mum, Kevin does drugs and he is fine, why cant I?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

pandaman 5y ago

Why would you want to pull the handbrake in a turn while going 50 mph? And what is going to happen if you pull the handbrake at 50 mph other than the handbrake burning out? I have not had a car with a handbrake at all but I drove a few rentals with one and they drove normally even when I forgot to take them off the handbrake, the thing is just a lever with a wire, it cannot stop the car even on idle. Or do they use a rally car with a hydraulic handbrake that does something at that speed?

nradov 5y ago
The point of pulling the handbrake is to artificially trigger a slide in a controlled environment in order to verify that the student driver has the vehicle control skills necessary to recover. It's similar to what can happen driving on ice.
- pandaman 5y ago
  So the car is supposed to slide when you pull the handbrake? This will be hard to pull off in the US where most cars have an electronic parking brake and the ones that have the actual lever have it connected to a weak drum brake that cannot lock wheels when the engine is running. Also, the whole test seems to be set up like a gold rush for lawyers - if you actually managed to slide the car and roll over at 50 mph you are almost certain to have some injuries not to mention the damage to the car. Who is liable for those, the government that ordered the driver to execute a dangerous maneuver in order to obtain a driving license? What if the driver dies from the injuries?
  - jjav 5y ago
    > So the car is supposed to slide when you pull the handbrake? Yes, that's what will happen if you brake the rear wheels (what the handbrake does) in a turn. The point isn't that you'd ever do that, of course, but to simulate the rear end of the car sliding which can happen if you hit ice, oil or even uneven water patches. Can you control that slide? It's really awesome if Denmark is including car control in the test. The US should do the same. I strongly encourage you (everyone) to find a car control clinic in your area and participate. Even a single weekend will raise your car control skills significantly if you've never had any instruction before. Newer cars have a lot of traction control magic that try to save you and often do, but there's still no substitute for the driver having skills as well. Sure the DMV manual will tell you to steer into the skid, but there's no way to learn this muscle memory without practice and the most productive practice is with a good instructor. (I used to instruct the BMW club car control clinics (open to all cars) before life got too busy, hopefully will take it up again in the future.) > Also, the whole test seems to be set up like a gold rush for lawyers OP said this was in Denmark, so presumably every little thing isn't a "gold rush for lawyers" unlike in the USA.