55. Stay alive. That’s no jive.
Staying Current
Well, I just made the cutoff date to renew my driver license. This time around I managed to sneak in a little smile/smirk on the picture. I figure every renewal will see my grin grow until it is a natural smile. The cops behind the desks were actually pleasant and didn’t bust my balls over the tiny smile.
The Video:
This years video was interactive. Sorta. There were three or four scenarios presented on the tape. After each scenario had been explained, we got to select the best course of action. The scenarios were basically like “You are driving along and the following vehicles and/or pedestrians are in your line of sight. Do you focus on 1) the cyclist, 2 the truck, 3) the vehicle in front of you, or 4) the vehicle behind you?” I aced it, though no one will ever know it. Since we just sat there staring at the tv as the DVD player spun the VCD.
NOTE: Never once — and I do mean ‘Never’ in its most absolute form — was it “…focus on the vehicle behind you.” NEVER.
Oh, and we also had to count how many times the VOICE said an odd number. As the VOICE blurted out random numbers, we, the Future/Current Drivers of Japan, were to count the number of stop signs the driver encountered during the number blurting. This was an attempt to show us the dangers of talking on your cell phone and fiddling with your stereo while driving. I, once again, aced this section. Well, sorta. I just blew off the VOICE and counted the stop signs.
Anyway, the video was entertaining. The accidents from the traffic cameras were disturbing. I was the only one squirming around and wincing as truck A plowed into the side of family car B. I also learned why U-Turns are evil. Oh, and never cycle across moving traffic. Bad, bad, bad.
License Updates:
- Cellphone: It looks like driving and chatting on your cellphone is going to cost you 50,000
