Jeff Passed His (3) Driving Test(s)

Normally passing a drivers test isn't a big deal, but Jeff's pretty happy today.
Driver tests are a 3-part examination: a written test, an oral test and the 'practical' (driving).

Oral tests? - who does those these days? Universities and autoskolas (driving school), that's who.
And Jeff feels extra special because he did it entirely in Czech (*cough* with a translator *cough*).


Written Exam
First came the computerized written exam. All Czech. Remember, Jeff's Czech is 'rough'.

Yes, Jeff decided to use the autoskola's contract-for-hire translator to read off all the written test's 25 questions and multiple choice answers. Took just under 30 minutes to do so. Proved a great team effort.


Oral Exam
Then came the dreaded oral exam. This means the district's magistrate comes to visit and asks each candidate a few questions, ranging from car maintenance knowledge, first aid, to road regulations.

Again, Jeff chose to use the school's translator for the meeting with the local official. Smart idea.

The magistrate's asked "What are the 7 mandatory items to be found in every car?"

Jeff responded and the Translator rattled off "Spare bulbs, spare fuses, spare tire, tire wrench, a jack, first aid kit and a road triangle!" The magistrate replied with a firm nod and stamped the paper. Gosh, how Jeff holds Translator guy in such high regard now.


Practical Exam
Lastly the practical exam...actually driving a real car, on a real road. Such a small car. What with the magistrate, a policeman and Jeff, there's no room for Translator guy. Ah, who needs him anyway? Translator guy was too busy eating his hot lunch that was delivered to the school just as we walked out to the car.

The hot lunches delivered for the other officials had to wait. That might explain why Jeff's practical test was just a 2-minute trip around the block.


Manual or automatic?
Manual all the way, baby. If you dare to request an automatic car, then on your license will be noted the inability to drive stick.

Priority? "Main Roads"?
Any real differences between driving at home and here? Yes - it's called Priority. Not a common sense idea for us drivers from the States or Canada.

Priority is what you give people on the "main road." At intersections, the rule "the car which approached first" doesn't apply.

Check this out: The answer is the first one. Priority goes to cars on the main road ("back and to the left" ala the movie JFK). Main road is denoted by a yellow diamond sign. If you haven't seen that sign, you yield. If there isn't a main road, then at any crossing, cars coming from the right have priority. Makes for real interrupted driving in the neighborhoods.

Here's a similar question, in Czech, below.
"What driver has priority?" Answer is the third option: I go first (I have priority over the green car and red truck).

So, Jeff's pretty excited to have earned his Czech driving license. With it, Jeff can rent a car anywhere in the EU. ...oh boy, now the trouble & adventures will really start.