Salad... LOL

Perhaps the most senseless day of my life. I indeed had that passenger car driving test, lol.

The day started greatly. I first had a perfect driving lesson, which was followed by the driving test itself. Oh, well, the driving test engineer, which I had heard to be a tough guy, was actually a very nice old gent; until he checked out my papers. "I see, you're indeed a colourblind case; that's what these papers of wisdom say. So, if you're feeling comfortable and so on, we can start the test, shall we?". Oh, right. I replied I was ready and launched the car. The test had started, but I had started to doubt the whole thing, too.

I precisely drove where the engineer wanted me to. There were people, like ants, zigzagging everywhere, and the market square seemed to be enjoying its ultimate glory, for it was the April Market. The engineer told me to drive round the market square, then along the smaller side streets and neighbourhoods, highway and big crossroads. I had to park the car by backing and make a push-start, too.

No mistakes, but then came the traffic lights. Well, there are two lights in that town, I passed the bigger ones well, but then I had to drive through the smaller ones, too. So, I was approaching the crossroad: there's a high traffic light pole, which you can't see when you're waiting for your turn on the white line, so there are smaller lights attached on underneath the pole, so you'll see them. I can certainly say the light turned green and I was about to turn left at crossroad, but then a big red delivery van behind me made a decision to overtake me at that moment when I was going to make my turn. I was like "WHAT THE HELL, AN OVERTAKE AT A CROSSROAD AT THE MOMENT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE YOUR TURN!!??"

So, I quickly braked my tires and prevented a bad crash while the van leapfrogged on behalf of me and turned left, LOL! My car stopped half over the white line, but the dangerous situation had made my eyes puzzling, so I froze for few seconds before noting the lights were still green for me. Stupid red van, I thought. I made my turn and continued my drive. The engineer made a bizarre look at me and told me I handled the situation very well. My test was coming to its end, though, so he told me to drive back to the checkup station, where I started the test.

I parked and turned off the car. The engineer didn't say anything for a while, just wrote down something on his papers. At last he uttered out his judgment: "Well, you drove very well and I just gave you such good grades, but... your test just can't be accepted. You're colourblind and a risk for other people in traffic, so your result is FAILED. You also drove over the white line."

"Excuse me, should I have crashed with that stupid van driver instead of listening to my bare sense and survival instict?", I asked. "Well, no, but things like this happen, and you didn't get the point of traffic lights at the first second. Nobody died and you were good, but come another time. Not my fault, y'see", the engineer answered. He decreed me four more driving lessons (cost 120 E) and naturally a new driving test (55 E). I was speechless.

The engineer left and my driving teacher came to see me. He was all dumbfounded like I was. He looked at the papers the engineer left me; the only reason to refuse my test was that I drove over the white line at the crossroad by an accident, which wasn't my fault at all. There was also a mention about my colourblindness and that it would be better if I couldn't get the driving license at all. "A fatal risk for other drivers", the engineer had written.

Really, what the hell? What has made that engineer an idiot? It's not my fault that I was born colourblind; I've taught myself the traffic lights and other "must know" red-green combinations. I know them by their positions. There's no logic to refuse my test because a mistake of some other driver, I see I did nothing wrong, and I really mean I did. We made a reclamation with my driving teacher. It's going to ensure me a new, free driving test with an another driving engineer next Wednesday. I don't have to take the extra driving lessons that cost; they gave me a free extra lesson for next week. I can take it if I want to, and I sure want it, though!

What a day, really. It ain't nice when people underestimate you by something you were born with. However, I can still pass the test by the first try.