This time I encountered a similar sentence in the handbook: “Large trucks, bicyclists and small underpowered cars lose speed on long or steep hills. The DMV didn’t like my thought process, I guess. For example, in my first written exam years ago, one T or F question was, “A driver should never pass a car going uphill.” Well, “yes, but…” What if there was a slow driver that had moved to the shoulder and was signaling for me to pass him? Or what if it was a two-lane uphill road? I marked the question false, and got it wrong. I am one of these people who keeps on thinking of exceptions to a rule. Then I took the “knowledge test” and some of the questions drove me berserk. Isn’t that what a judge deals with? Maybe the DMV is trying to scare us (successfully, for me). I took more than a 100 sample questions and wondered what fines and sentencing had to do with a test of my driving knowledge. or a three-axle 6,000 pounder) and how much time might a person serve in jail or get fined if he refuses to stop alongside a highway when police officers ask him (up to a year in jail). I know the DMV likes number, so I circled hundreds in the booklet, like how far should my headlights shine, how big a car can I drive with a Class C license (a two-axle weighing 26,000 lbs. It was a tedious read, full of boring information, e.g., how many feet I should park away from a fire hydrant (15), what does a five-sided sign mean (I’m near a school) or a truck is a slow-moving vehicle. Would I get a ticket for driving with an expired license? I called the Palo Alto Police Department, and was told no, as long as I could substantiate I had a scheduled DMV appointment.įive days before my appointment, I started reading the 118-page handbook. The first available date was four days after my birthday. I happen to be an overly conscientious person (a good and a bad trait), and so I immediately went online to schedule an appointment. Plus to pass the exam (7 out of 10 questions), the DMV advised me to read the “California Driver’s Handbook 2018.” Terror struck! I have taken these written tests before, and know they can be tricky and occasionally include questions on extraneous things that didn’t matter to me like how many seconds away from a motorcycle should I drive (four). I also have to pay $36 – by cash, check or debit card – but NO credit cards accepted. On that date, the DMV said, I needed to bring along a passport or a birth certificate, my existing driver’s license, two proofs of residency, a social security card - all to verify I am who I know I am. 4th, and make an appointment for a written test. THAT notice from the DMV arrived in my mailbox almost three months ago, announcing that I must renew my driver’s license by my birthday, Feb. I moved to Palo Alto in 1979, and have been involved in the community on several nonprofit boards. Born in a small community on Long Island, I attended Middlebury College, graduated from the University of Michigan, got married, had four boys in four years, and then started working. In the late 1990s, I sequentially wrote columns for all three local newspapers here in Palo Alto. I also worked for the State Bar of California as the first editor in chief of "California Lawyer" magazine, and then spent a decade at Stanford involved in public issues affecting the university. I then went to the San Jose Mercury as an editorial writer and columnist. I've been a journalist most of my life, first as a reporter and then managing editor of a Chicago newspaper, followed by a wonderful year at Stanford as a recipient of Knight Journalism Fellowship. My goal with this blog is to help the public better understand what really is happening, and more important, how residents living here may be affected by these local decisions. I know many residents care about this town, and I want to explore our collective interests to help do the right thing. In this blog I want to discuss all that with you. About this blog: So much is right - and wrong - about what is happening in Palo Alto.
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