I learned to drive in Mexico City in 1979. At the time, I was 17 years of age and in high school in Mexico. Unlike in the U.S., driver’s education is not taught in high school in Mexico, or anywhere else in Latin America that I am aware of, for that matter. So, my parents thought that it would be a good idea for me to take a driver’s course before embarking upon the test for my license. While there were a number of schools that offered such training, we settled upon the one from the Asociación Mexicana Automovilística, which is akin to the U.S. American Automobile Association.
The training was basically divided into three parts. The first part was all theory, followed by a week of simulator activity, and then finally getting behind the wheel and driving.
On the first day of the theory training, I arrived early and sat there nervously with my blank notebook in front of me and pen in hand in anticipation. When the class finally started, the first thing out of the instructor’s mouth was “rule number one of driving: if you run over anybody, back up and run over them again to make sure that they are dead, because dead people can’t sue”. At that point, I decided to close my notebook, put down my pen, and just listen.
There were a few more nuggets of wisdom, such as “should a policeman on foot try to stop you when you are driving, just keep going as he cannot stop you and probably doesn’t have a radio to call ahead”. Otherwise, it consisted of normal, driving instructions.
The simulator turned out to be a bust as you can imagine. Virtual reality did not exist back in 1979, so it was just a rudimentary machine that tested your reactions turning slightly left and right. But where the fun really began, was in the driving portion.
All of the driving was done on open roads in Mexico City. For those of you that have never been, driving in Mexico City is an experience. With a population of over 20 million in greater Mexico City alone (a bit less back then), finding a deserted road was not an option. Traffic is some of the most difficult in the world, and most operated under the belief that the traffic regulations were optional. A friend once told me that the only reason that there were lines on the road was to break up the monotony of the pavement. I believed him, as it was not uncommon to see four lanes of traffic on a road designed and painted for three lanes. To say that I was a bit nervous the first day on the road was a bit of an understatement.
The AMA vehicles were all equipped with double steering wheel, brake, gas and clutch. So, if the instructor felt that you were going a bit slow, he would step on the gas. If he saw that you were having trouble switching lanes, he would grab the steering wheel and turn. And if he thought that you were getting a bit too comfortable behind the wheel, he would suddenly slam on the brakes to see how you would react. More than drivers ed, it seemed to be a sadistic game designed to break up the instructor’s boredom in teaching kids how to drive. But off I went, 30 minutes per day for the next two weeks.
On the day of the final exam, we started off with the written test. I squeaked by, so it was on to the driving portion. My anxiety was high that day, but as luck would have it, I drew my same instructor. But as I walked up to the vehicle, I noticed a police officer sitting in the back seat. When I asked the instructor about the officer, he stated that it was normal, that the police officer was there to rate my skills and to see if I was prepared to drive on the streets in Mexico City. My anxiety shot through the roof.
I passed the exam with no major problems. I also learned halfway through the test that the instructor was bullshitting me – the police officer was his brother and he was either not on duty or was playing hooky. Either way, I had my license and could now brave the streets of Mexico City on my own.