It's a car based society where people without a car have a lot of troubles getting around and do their daily tasks. Taking someone's license is like ostracizing them from society. To keep the economy going, everybody needs to be able to drive, spend and shop, so it's logical the barrier to entry is kept very low.

I made a bunch of mistakes on my driving test, but they passed me anyway since my mom made me take my test on my 16th birthday and the instructor felt bad for me. I proceeded to get into 2 car accidents in my first year driving. I got pretty good at it eventually, and haven't had any major issues since then, but I definitely would've benefited from a bit more practice before being given free rein.

I failed my first driving test for not having both hands on the wheel the entire time. Other than that, my driving was flawless.

Not that I disagree with your hypothesis, but it certainly isn't true for every exam proctor.

Just spend 6 hours driving between Cambria and the High Desert is So Cal today, can confirm.

I feel the distracted driving is a large impact that reverses that effect you describe. Maybe trust is the wrong word, but I trust a teenager texting before an 80 year old. 80 year olds will slow down to 5mph and drift over lines to text. They're fucking horrible at it and they don't see it that way. These days teens have multitasked on their phones for 5-10 years before they were able to drive. Maybe they don't understand the rules of the road as well yet, but they're a lot more present while distracted.

Feel a real sense of superiority

my main reason for checking is to see if my assumption about their stereotype was correct, based on the vehicle and how they drive

Say you're from Houston without saying you're from Houston

It makes sense in NL, they can ride a bike or take public transit, but in America, not driving isnt a realistic option.

Sadly here in the US it isn’t the cost of obtaining a license. Most offenders aren’t allowed one for criminal violations but continue to drive anyways. It’s mostly DUI offenders.

That's a bunch of carp and you know it!

I mean, a typical shitty fast food lunch costs $15 these days, which is about four gallons of gas or 100 miles of driving with a moderate-mileage car. Gas is still pretty cheap relatively speaking.

What new have you learned in this year's manual compared to last year?

I just remember it all. I had to learn it all since that was the rules. Unfortuanatly the first thing I found out about driving is that no one really knows them or really cares. Even worse you have these idiots teaching their kids the same wrong things. My drivers test was two right turns less than 200 yards apart. One left turn into a parking lot less than 100 yards from that turn and then I went back the way I came.

Thirty years later my daughters test was pretty much the same. Its pathetic and proof that this country can't do anything right anymore and they don't even understand why.

There's also the people who will be driving along the road at the speed limit, and will suddenly slam on the brakes start turning, and then indicate because they've got to their road.

Usually they are in Range Rovers, who's closest they have ever been to off-road is when they have to park in a field that one time in a national trust overflow car park.

Radio: "Watch out, there's a wrong way driver on the highway!"

Listener: "One? I see hundreds!"

and drove right up his arse to force to get the fuck out of the way

Sometimes the one complaining about asshole drivers might be one themselves.

It's a small thing, and irrelevant to your comment, and I'm sorry for any embarrassment I may cause you. You're using the wrong word. When a car actively decelerates it is braking https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/brake-or-break-difference

Other than that, I do agree with you, I put about 50k km (30k miles) on the odometer each year, and the amount of shitty drivers out there is astounding. The other day I saw an elderly couple trying to enter a roundabout. It was a busy section of road during rush hour. Driver was looking both right and left, instead of just looking left like you're supposed to. They had a clear left, but oh no car is entering the two lane roundabout to our right, we better yield ... Generally roundabouts, it's like people didn't hear about them when training for their license.

Do not worry, car insurance will pay for risky behavior.

I find they usually just look at their phone.