I have two bits of good news. One is that I passed my test to become a full-licensed driver!
New South Wales has a pain-in-the-bum system for qualifying to drive.
You have to be on a learner licence (can only with a full-licensed driver in the passenger seat) for at least six months and you have to practice driving for a cumulative 50 hours (that number might have recently gone up to 200 hours). When you’re at least 17, with 6 months and 50 hours driving under your belt you can take a practical driving test. If you pass that you get a Provisional 1 drivers license.
When you’ve had a P1 license (usually referred to as ‘red Ps’ because you have to have red P plates on your car, not drive over 90km/h and not exceed a breath alcohol limit of 0.00) for one year you can take a computer test for hazard perception skills. The test involves a video on a computer screen and you press the touch screen when you would slow down or turn a corner. Upon passing that you get your P2 license (green Ps).
You must have your green Ps for two years and then you can take another computer test, which is a mixture of knowledge questions and hazard perception questions. When you pass that you can have an unrestricted license!
So having to go through all that makes one appreciate their license quite a lot. I think the aim of the whole process is to help people understand that driving is dangerous and you need to learn to be safe, but looking at the drivers on the roads I don’t think it’s doing a good job. It seems to be making P-platers targets for blame and police attention, which doesn’t really help anyone when full-licensed drivers are being just as stupid.
My second piece of good news is that I won a silver medal for kata at the karate tournament yesterday.
It was just a small tournament, but I was glad to get something because I haven’t been doing that particular kata for very long and it still feels a bit uncoordinated. It was good fun and I’m inspired to enter in to the state tournament. 🙂 It’ll be good to have something to work towards.
Very cool…I can get my L’s in…a while…hehe
Anyway, it is now 120 Hours on your L’s with a compulsory 20hours at night, and you have to have them for 1 year, plus all hours completed, but if you got your L’s before July 1st, then you are still on the 50 hours, 6months thingy 🙂