licence

My female owner realised that she was issued her permanent driving licence 6 years ago on this day (She passed in 2001 though).

Now, driving tests in Singapore are notoriously difficult to pass on the first try. Most people pass on their second or third try. My female owner, the daughter of a driving instructor, passed on her fourth try, after more than two years of learning. Indeed, she brought down the good name of her father. Many of her friends learnt from her father and some actually passed on their first try (e.g. Second Onli Fren).

As you know, my female owner has anxiety issues. And if she has to perform anything, her anxiety is exacerbated. So during her driving tests, the first one in particular, her left leg started to shake uncontrollably, which of course made it virtually impossible for her to maintain clutch control. Among many things, she “strike kerb” twice, which meant an immediate failure.

Her subsequent attempts improved (it has to, given that she almost killed the examiner in her first try. She described it as him looking at her with “murderous eyes”, after she crashed into a safety cone.). Her leg shook less but nonetheless, she would still “strike kerb” at least once. She always accumulated enough points to fail in the circuit and thus, not make it out to the main road. She tried visual imaginary to habituate herself to the stressful situation but that didn’t work, coz she would be scared off by her own visual imagination!

Come her fourth try.

Early into the test, she “strike kerb” again. One more strike and she would be out. Her examiner looked at her with sympathetic eyes and told her to “drive slowly, don’t strike kerb and you will pass”. Her Achilles’ heels? The crank course where she has to make four perpendicular turns starting from turning into the course and ending by turning out of the course (imagine a right-angled “Z”). And for some reason, the examiner chose to test her on the particular orientation where she has to make four left turns. Now, that is extremely difficult for her coz firstly, she is on the right side of the car, secondly, she hardly practiced this certain orientation coz its location in the circuit makes it less accessible.

Well, she kinda scrapped through without striking anything… miraculously. And got her licence. She didn’t even need to drive out into the main road!