Current traffic is much busier than that in the 1960s. Even in the seventies the crowds were not too bad. There was still a lot of time to insert. You also did not have to zip or send from the extreme right lane over four or more lanes to the extreme left lane to insert because the roads were not that wide.
As a boy you usually had no trouble operating the clutch in a car because of course you also had a moped with gears. In short, it used to be easier to get used to traffic and actually it was not difficult to learn how to drive. Certainly not if you were helped by a father who wanted to practice with you in a quiet parking lot. Of course it was extremely illegal, but many a parent set off with a son to teach him the clean principles of driving. I have to say that the many hours that I spent in my mother's car to learn to park and reverse and to master the infamous "turn around" have saved me a lot of money for driving lessons. Not that I started driving lessons directly on my 18e. I bought a motorcycle and you could ride it in a test area until you thought you had enough experience to take the exam. An L was screwed on the back and you could learn to drive. It was a great system. That way you could gain a lot of experience and the costs were very low. You only had to pay for the gas. It would be nice if that was also possible when learning to drive. Because once you have obtained your driver's license, your driving experience is still minimal. This has been possible in the Netherlands since November 1. Yes !! How does it work? It is called 2todrive and some things are explained on the website with the same name. Those who are 16,5 can take driving lessons and from your 17e can you go for the driving test. If you passed, you can go to your 18e driving a car under the supervision of a coach. After that you can drive a car without supervision. The coach does not have to teach because the adolescent has already passed the driving test. The Aston Martin in the photo from Hello belonged to dad. Prince William was allowed to borrow him for his marriage and his brother Harry had mounted the L. In England there is a similar system. Only an L must be driven there.
Text and photo Jacques van den Bergh