I got my driver’s license when I was 18 like any other guy who’s loved cars even since I could walk. I learned to drive in about three months and did my driving exam with a 5-speed manual Toyota Hiace commercial van. It was a hell of a van when it was empty and not much of a van when its full. Having straight edges at ninety-degree angles it was easy enough to park because the van ended right where the windows were. Easy as it was to see out of, it was still a large van and I was expected to park it in regular car parking spot.
I failed my first exam when the examiner determined that my bumper hung a half inch over the rear line. It really only happened because I wanted to straighten the van and park it parallel to all four lines. I really didn’t give a shit about the subsequent road exam knowing that failing one component means failing the whole exam. I drove like a taxi driver driving right on the speed limit at third gear, ran yellow lights, and passed other vehicles at speed – all perfectly legal. I reckon that if I drove another block the examiner was going to soil his pants.
While practicing for my second exam (which I passed), I went on an elevated highway to access the hills. The drive was scenic and travelled though many of the older districts of Hong Kong. On the way down, I approached the speed limit of 70km/h on a two lane road coming down at fourth gear. I used the outside lane and a taxi pulled up alongside me on the inside lane. We both knew there was a lane closure coming up and that I was traveling on the speed limit in the faster lane so he couldn’t legally pass me. The taxi driver’s ego got to him and he just wouldn’t slow down to trail a learner so he kept his pace.
The lane closure came into sight about 200 meters ahead and the taxi driver would not budge. We kept racing ahead waiting for one of us to chicken out and yield. I knew that if I won I really wouldn’t get any satisfaction so I schemed up a cunning plan. I braked hard just 50 meters shy of the closure and shifted down to second to get down to 40km/h, the taxi sped up to about 90km/h to claim his prize as the winner. Flash! He got a speeding ticket. He didn’t know that the construction zone had a temporary 50km/h speed limit. Go claim your prize cabbie.
