Process Essay

How to get a Driver’s License Having a driver’s license is a privilege itself. It gives you the freedom of driving anywhere at any time. Having a driver’s license is one of the job requirements for some work. It requires a person to go through a process to get a license. I also wanted to learn how to drive and get my own driving license when I came here in the United States. The process starts with getting the book for the written test. It is available at any driver’s license facility for free. One needs to go through the book and understand the rules and regulations given, which prepares the applicant for the written test. I found the book little boring for reading but since I wanted to get the license, I tried to read it with interest. It took me about a week to finish up the reading. Once the material from the book is understood well enough, the person is now ready to take the written test. Usually this test is not ‘written’ anymore. It is on the computers at the facility. So I went to the driver’s license facility and took my test.
There are 35 multiple choice questions in the test for Illinois State. And minimum number of correct answer is 28 to pass the test. There is no time limit for completing the test. The employees at the facility are really nice and friendly. When I went there and asked for the test, one of the employees came with me and took me to the computer; he gave me all the information very nicely. They want you to understand all the questions properly and give the best answer to your understanding. And if any question is difficult to understand, they will be happy to explain the question in easy language so that one can understand. I started my test and the questions were so easy for me. I was trying to finish the test quickly even though I didn’t have to. There are three trials for the practice test to pass at no cost. If someone fails all three trials, they will give three more chances at cost of $30. At the end of the test, the computer will show the number of correct answers with the percentage. I passed my test at first try with 34 correct answers and 97% accuracy.
If the test is successfully passed, one of the employees will perform the vision test. In between these things, other employees will verify the applicant’s proof of address and social security number or passport. If you pass both the tests, you will be given a permit to drive for six months with a licensed person sitting with you in the car when you are learning to drive. And finally I got my permit to drive. I was so happy and excited about driving the car by myself.
Then, the applicant gets behind the wheel getting practice for driving the car. I was getting my learning lessons with my father-in-law. He taught me every crucial detail to keep in mind while driving the car. Before coming to the US, I took few driving classes in India. There is left side driving in India which is opposite of the driving style of the US. My father-in-law taught me how to drive car in empty parking lot of the mall, so that if anything goes wrong, I wouldn’t end up hurting someone or damaging anything. Than we came on the road, in between the traffic. This much of driving wasn’t enough for me to forget the left side driving of India. Initially a couple times I ended up driving on wrong side of the road where, fortunately, there was no traffic at all. After a few days when my father-in-law saw some confidence in my driving, he took me downtown which has lot of narrow and one way streets. On one way, obviously, there isn’t any opposite traffic and on that road, he asked me to take next left turn. So I changed my lane from right to left. And all of a sudden my old Indian style of driving got in my mind. I took that left turn, which wasn’t the one-way anymore, and I stayed on the left side of the road which was the ‘wrong way’ for that new road. Then I saw a big white truck coming towards me, honking loudly. My heart stopped for a second and my father-in-law screamed at me to change lane immediately. The truck was little far and he slowed down too. Thankfully there was no one coming behind me when I changed the lane. And we took a deep breath of relief. After that incident, I will never forget the rule of driving at right side of road in my life.
After enough practice, when the applicant feels confident about driving by himself, he can go to the driver’s license facility again for the driving test. I went to take the driving test after a week. At that time, one of the employees came in the car with me. The instructor only gives the direction in which the car needs to go, and observes if the rules have been followed properly or not. If he doesn’t find any mistakes during the test, the applicant becomes eligible to receive a driving license. I was little nervous, but confident enough not to make the same mistake again. He took me towards the downtown and I drove keeping all signs and one ways in mind. I passed the test successfully. Again, there are three chances of taking the test. And if someone fails all of them, they will give three more tries for $30.
For issuing a license, a colored picture of the applicant is required. They will now take the picture of the new driver inside the facility and issue the license on the spot with a charge of $30.00. Thus, it requires a person to go through a long procedure, but it’s worth going through the process to get the freedom of driving by yourself.