Passing the Driver's Test

I had been dreading this day for a while. I got my first Driver's Licence some twenty years ago. (Yes, say and spell 20!) However, the state of California does not accept out of state licences and requires you to pass the test all over. I wasn't looking forward to studying the Traffic Code again to be able to quote that 'at 35 mph, it takes about 210 feet to bring a car to a complete stop' and that with a Class C licence one can 'drive a 3-axle vehicle if the Gross Vehicle Weight is less than 6,000 pounds' and 'tow a boat trailer provided the GCWR does not exceed 26,000 lbs. when the towing is for recreational purposes or repair, is not used in commerce or contract carrier operations, or in business, is not for hire, and doesn't require an oversize permit'.

However, when I finally took myself down to the Department of Motor Vehicles I fairly easily passed the written test on the traffic code. I then had to wait six weeks for an appointment to pass the driving test. C's been training me in parallel parking, especially as I'm still a little uncomfortable with the size of our pickup truck, being used to my cute little Corolla. So, I felt ready today when I went to my appointment. But maybe I was wrong! After the test I was appalled to find myself only 4 errors from not passing the test. I went from 'burning stop signs' (a whole four times I did not make a "complete" stop in front of the stop line before proceding a little further from where I could see the coming traffic) to 'speeding' (I drove a little open stretch with no sidewalks or pedestrians at 39 mph whereas it qualified still as residential area and the real speed limit was 35). I also made three right turns without looking over my shoulder. Bad, bad, bad.

I am a legal driver now, but well, I will have to be extra careful from now on. Actually, I have sort of turned into a backseat driver in the process, I see violations of the traffic code everywhere. And each time C drives me to or from work, I use the opportunity to fail him on a fictive 'driver's test' ...