What New Jersey drivers clearly need to be better tested for

Things certainly have changed since I first got my license in New Jersey. Back then, you would get your official license at 17. Not a preliminary one, but the actual non-restrictive one.

Looking back, I do agree with the way New Jersey has it set up now. Driving on our roads does require more skill than most other parts of the country, so the additional restrictions early on does make sense.

There is, however, a part of it that hasn't really changed much since when I got my license. From my understanding, the drivers test itself is still fairly basic.

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Too basic for New Jersey?

Even when I got tested, I was surprised at how little I had to show the instructor that I could do. Really the two big things I had to do was demonstrate how to parallel park, and perform a k-turn. Truth be told, I lost points for the k-turn because I did it backwards (hey, I still did the turn).

And yes, the basics of gas, brake, stop, go, signal lights, going in reverse, and so on were also part of it. But other things, such as four way stops, were never part of the test.

No 4-way stops included

I'm not sure why, but for some reason drivers can't seem to grasp how to navigate an all-way stop. Even drivers who've had their licenses for a long time still seem to struggle when all directions have a stop sign, and it's puzzling.

That leads us to the question, should all-way stops be part of the New Jersey drivers test? We do have a lot of them, so I do feel it should be added. What do you think?

And while we're add it, maybe we should also (finally) retest at different age points. That's another sticking point when it comes to New Jersey drivers (and yes, include that all-way stop for them as well).

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.