So.... how are the driving lessons going?

[workin4somethin 0]

Check with the Russian consulate here in the USA for more current info. They should be able to tell you what you need to know. Or call AAA in your city or state.

As far as I remember, Russian citizens when they apply for their driver's licenses are asked whether they want a regular Russian driver's license or an International one. Difference being cost of course. In Russia the place is abbreviated and well known to everyone as ГАИ (ГИБДД).

I wouldn't recommend driving in Russia, personally. Just to give you an idea, half of the drivers in St. Petersburg surveyed admitted to bribing a traffic cop. If you really need to take a car somewhere, it's much better to just stop a car and pay the driver. We usually pay about 20r a kilometer, but I doubt that American men can get away with it.

Thanks! It's for my wife who has a regular Russian driver's license. I was just wondering if anyone's Russian spouse had changed theirs recently.

[eekee 182]

I recall someone mentioning that it's now too expensive to be worth it.

[slim 1,514]

If your wife is going to get "lessons and a license" and pay a couple hundred bucks, then it's not worth it. But if she's actually going to get taught to drive a car and shows up here knowing how to drive, then that money is well spent.

But if she spends $300 or so to get issued a license then she'd be better off keeping that money and just going through the normal process here. Licensing in the U.S. is actually pretty cheap, it's just that you have to pass that pesky driving test and actually prove that you can drive.

[akdiver 3]

I agree. Learning to drive is so simple, even children do it. In Alaska, they can get a learner's permit at age 14. Can you believe that?? 14 year olds driving around. It's freakin' insane.

Save the money in Russia. If she knows English, she should be able to get a license her within a 1-2 weeks of having a social security number.

[eekee 182]

I agree. Learning to drive is so simple, even children do it. In Alaska, they can get a learner's permit at age 14. Can you believe that?? 14 year olds driving around. It's freakin' insane.

Save the money in Russia. If she knows English, she should be able to get a license her within a 1-2 weeks of having a social security number.

And yet here I am, 22 years with a SSN and no driver's license to be found.

[slim 1,514]

It's all on a needs basis. If she needs to drive then she can get her license rather quickly. If she doesn't need to drive (like, she needs you to drive her everywhere) then she may take a little while longer.

[eekee 182]

It's all on a needs basis. If she needs to drive then she can get her license rather quickly. If she doesn't need to drive (like, she needs you to drive her everywhere) then she may take a little while longer.

And there are also states which don't allow people to drive at 14 years of age where requirements for licenses are stricter and you need more than two weeks to get a license.

[Fuzzified 0]

I tried teaching my wife in an automatic. the First time we stayed on a a back road and I didn't allow gas pedal or turning privileges and she did fine. The second time though there was a mix up of gas and brake pedals and she floored it. knocked over a handicap parking sign and bottomed out on a sidewalk. no body damage, but she did something to the engine that I still haven't figured out.

I wouldn't let her drive from there on out, but my parents tried to teach her, she almost wrecked their car too. I think I've got to teach her VERY slowly.

I'm more of a motorcycle person myself. B)

[akdiver 3]

And yet here I am, 22 years with a SSN and no driver's license to be found.

Well, the universe has two kinds of people - motivated and unmotivated...

[eekee 182]

And yet here I am, 22 years with a SSN and no driver's license to be found.

Well, the universe has two kinds of people - motivated and unmotivated...

Or "people who live in cities with public transport and no need for a car" and those who want to spend money on gas, insurance, and maintenance. I prefer to walk and use metro/bus systems. So far, having gone to boarding school where I couldn't have a car, and then living in urban areas where driving is hellish, it hasn't been necessary or even advantageous to me to know how to drive. Which is why none of your wives know how to either. I have no interest in life in a place where driving is a requirement.

[peejay 327]

I tried teaching my wife in an automatic. the First time we stayed on a a back road and I didn't allow gas pedal or turning privileges and she did fine. The second time though there was a mix up of gas and brake pedals and she floored it. knocked over a handicap parking sign and bottomed out on a sidewalk. no body damage, but she did something to the engine that I still haven't figured out.

I wouldn't let her drive from there on out, but my parents tried to teach her, she almost wrecked their car too. I think I've got to teach her VERY slowly.

I'm more of a motorcycle person myself. B)

My advice...if she is fluent enough in English send her to a reputable driving school. It sounds like your situation is a job for the pros and it would be money well spent.

[Ban Hammer 13,112]

I tried teaching my wife in an automatic. the First time we stayed on a a back road and I didn't allow gas pedal or turning privileges and she did fine. The second time though there was a mix up of gas and brake pedals and she floored it. knocked over a handicap parking sign and bottomed out on a sidewalk. no body damage, but she did something to the engine that I still haven't figured out.

I wouldn't let her drive from there on out, but my parents tried to teach her, she almost wrecked their car too. I think I've got to teach her VERY slowly.

I'm more of a motorcycle person myself. B)

given the above, she, and civilization, might be better off if she had a bicycle.

[slim 1,514]

I tried teaching my wife in an automatic. the First time we stayed on a a back road and I didn't allow gas pedal or turning privileges and she did fine. The second time though there was a mix up of gas and brake pedals and she floored it. knocked over a handicap parking sign and bottomed out on a sidewalk. no body damage, but she did something to the engine that I still haven't figured out.

I wouldn't let her drive from there on out, but my parents tried to teach her, she almost wrecked their car too. I think I've got to teach her VERY slowly.

I'm more of a motorcycle person myself. B)

Take her to a big empty parking lot and let her do whatever she wants to get a feel for it. It shouldn't take her too long to really "get it" that way. I too tried to teach my wife to drive slowly, park, turn, etc. and she really struggled. I took her to the parking lot and said, "Have at it." and she started to make some progress.

Just make sure it's big, open, and there are no poles!

[slim 1,514]

And yet here I am, 22 years with a SSN and no driver's license to be found.

Well, the universe has two kinds of people - motivated and unmotivated...

And yet here I am, 22 years with a SSN and no driver's license to be found.

Well, the universe has two kinds of people - motivated and unmotivated...

Or "people who live in cities with public transport and no need for a car" and those who want to spend money on gas, insurance, and maintenance. I prefer to walk and use metro/bus systems. So far, having gone to boarding school where I couldn't have a car, and then living in urban areas where driving is hellish, it hasn't been necessary or even advantageous to me to know how to drive. Which is why none of your wives know how to either. I have no interest in life in a place where driving is a requirement.

Here's the thing though, eekee, I'm sure if placed in a driver's seat, you'd figure it out with minimal instruction and training. It seems as if some of the girls from Russia/FSU have really struggled to "get it" even after driving several times.

And there are significant advantages to knowing how to drive, even in places where you'd never need to drive and/or even if you didn't have a license. You may need to drive for someone or if there's an emergency or something you could have to drive for someone or yourself. The outcome of a "what if" scenario almost always favors those with more knowledge and training. Ability = survivability.

And along AKD's school of thought here, if it's something that's going to be undertaken, you've (not just you eekee, but everyone) decided to start learning to drive a car, why should it take more than a day or two? Is it really that difficult?

[akdiver 3]

Or "people who live in cities with public transport and no need for a car".

People who are unmotivated to get a driver's license....

and those who want to spend money on gas, insurance, and maintenance.

People who are motivated to get a license...

I have no interest in life in a place where driving is a requirement.

...unmotivated to get a license....

See how easy it is?

Edited June 21, 2008 by akdiver