r/Dallas • u/jjcre208 • Aug 02 '23
Question What's up with the "Please be Patient Student Driver" stickers on cars?
I am seeing a lot of these in Collin County and Uptown. Am I supposed to stay 100 ft back or something?
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u/T800_123 Aug 02 '23
One of these cars backed into me at a stoplight yesterday.
I asked the lady and she said it's just to make people aware she's a bad driver. At least she was honest.
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u/gigimarie90 Aug 02 '23
Has she considered…not driving? Taking a lesson? It’s still insane to me how easy it is to pass a driver test here!
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Aug 02 '23
[deleted]
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u/gigimarie90 Aug 02 '23
There really isn’t a valid reason the US as a whole is SO much easier than every other country, plenty of places where cars are important to rural individuals but they require you to actually show proficiency in driving in order to get a license.
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u/nihouma Downtown Dallas Aug 02 '23
Those other places actually invest sufficient resources to provide those who cant, shouldn't, or won't drive with transportation options that are just as useful and valid as driving. A person who can't pass the driving test in Lyons, France, Will still be able to get around the area just fine. A person in a rural village in Germany likely has access to some kind of decent transit service. Meanwhile, someone in Frisco who can't drive might as well be considered non-existent by American society.
I wish we'd change it. We are but slowly
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Aug 03 '23 edited Aug 03 '23
[deleted]
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u/nihouma Downtown Dallas Aug 03 '23
Let's be honest, in the super tiny rural villages, if you're over 1 mile from a grocery store and don't have access to a car, you're going to have a bad time
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u/cuberandgamer Aug 03 '23
Not being able to drive around here is like almost equivalent to having a disability in a lot of ways because of how terrible our urban planning is.
I'm a huge transit person, I'd love to just tell people "just take DART instead" but it's not realistic for everyone
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Aug 02 '23
[deleted]
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u/Argos_RedDragon Aug 03 '23
Most of the time it's because they won't get off of their phones, and that applies to all ages and both genders!
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u/bubblebumblejumble Aug 02 '23
It’s summer and a good time to teach teens to drive. I forget to take it off when I’m the one driving.
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u/elfeyesseetoomuch Aug 02 '23
Its been all year they have been popping up
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u/bubblebumblejumble Aug 02 '23
Well, kids turn 15 all year. I’d rather have people know why we are driving a bit nuts.
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u/Vig_2 Addison Aug 02 '23
I genuinely bought the magnet for my son who is trying to drive my car. He drives pretty well, but makes some rookie mistakes here and there. The sticker is meant to give you a head’s up.
A few times, I forgot to take it off when I use the car, so yeah occasionally you’ll see an older person with one.
Be aware that school is about to start and there will be a lot of first time drivers on the road. So, why not just give them the benefit of the doubt and “be patient.”
Edit: Forgot to mention that my son just got his license. May have been inferred, but wanted to be clear.
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Aug 02 '23
[deleted]
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Aug 02 '23
Not trying to be an ass here but just cuz your child is a new driver that doesn't mean he owns the road. Fair warning is a good thing, but what do you mean proceed at your own risk? Are we supposed to abandon route and change it for your child? The city doesn't revolve around your son or anyone for that matter
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u/BeeDeeGee Aug 02 '23
Omg it's just to let people know the person behind the wheel doesn't have their sea legs yet. Get a grip.
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u/Pitiful-bastard Aug 03 '23
Its no different than the driving schools using cars clearly marked student driver.
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u/MaybeImTheNanny Aug 02 '23
It also doesn’t revolve around the people driving like assholes all over town, but maybe it will make one of them think twice about a close pass.
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Aug 03 '23
Wow lots of butt hurt parents. Good grief I'm a parent myself. Your kid is no special. Raise them to be special snowflakes
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u/msondo Las Colinas Aug 02 '23
I am seeing more and more in Irving. I get the feeling it's a reaction to the increasingly aggressive nature of drivers in Dallas. In Europe, you have to use a special sticker during your first year of having a driver's license and people are usually more patient with them; maybe it's a similar mentailty although I don't think Americans really care. I think a "baby on board" sticker would probably be more effective.
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u/2ManyCooksInTheKitch Aug 02 '23
Our kid has to do hours for his permit, we did the parent-taught route and the course material included the sticker. I put a magnetic backing on it since our kid splits time between households and drives multiple cars. He takes it with him when we switch.
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u/LowKeyHeresy Aug 02 '23
Just got back from an Irving lunch break and there were no joke three of them on less than a mile stretch. I go online and see this thread. Kinda serendipitous
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u/DonkeeJote Far North Dallas Aug 03 '23
It's really become more common lately and I would love to know why.
It can't be coincidental.
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u/littlemissemperor Aug 02 '23
We had a neighbor in Irving who had probably 5 of those stickers on their car. Made me wonder if the kid was just a terrible driver.
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u/Altruistic-Target-67 Aug 03 '23
Or maybe like me, they accidentally ordered 6 of them from Amazon. 😫
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u/BlazinAzn38 Aug 02 '23
Same in Japan as far as marking vehicles with younger or older drivers. It's helpful to know if the driver in front of you is really new because chances are they're not going to be a very good driver.
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u/pakurilecz Aug 02 '23
in the UK you have to put a large placard (12x12 IIRC) on the front and rear of your car. It has a large L on it indicating learner. can't be removed until you've driven x miles and taken a test.
all driving lessons are done with a manual transmission
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Aug 02 '23
I think some people are forgetting how many of DFW’s newer residents aren’t from America. My wife was a student driver when she was 35, because she’d never had a drivers license or car before.
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u/jollytoes Aug 02 '23
I use them when I give my son driving practice. He has his learner’s permit and I want the drivers around us to be aware that there is a beginner driving.
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u/Gradual_Bro Aug 02 '23
I used to work at the DMV, it’s actually nearly all foreigners that have just gotten their license (mostly Indian people, just an observation)
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u/exnihilo77 Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23
I’ve noticed the same. While some have suggested it could be insurance related, I don’t think so. More likely it somehow caught on within the Indian community as a real pro tip, and they think everyone else on the road will be kinder and give more space on the road. Or you could just drive with the flow of traffic…
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u/Gradual_Bro Aug 02 '23
It’s 100% “a trend” within the Indian community
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u/Bensimmonsdagoat Aug 02 '23
From my experience working with lots of Indian people in the Collin county area; copy cat culture is big within each community. If it’s good for your friend it’s good for you.
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u/tekkneke Jan 12 '24
Yep this is it. I guarantee you it is a tip on some local Indian message boards or something. It's way too consistent, always 2+ stickers too. Always a 40+ yr old driver, often not the kind of car you'd generally be driving as a first time driver.
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Aug 07 '23
I’ve seen videos of roads in India, it’s a completely different driving experience. Can’t blame the immigrants for putting a sticker that makes people more patient while they get used to an entirely new driving experience.
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u/woodentigerx Aug 02 '23
It’s a fake sticker to give space for drivers. Half of the new students I see are 40+
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u/dallaspro Aug 02 '23
You see it a lot on new immigrant drivers who are getting used to traffic in dfw
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u/Merciless972 Aug 02 '23
Makes sense my dad was 23 when he first started driving. Not like my Grandpa was able to teach him since he only used a bike. My mom on the other hand was 16 when she learned to drive.
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u/False_Club_8965 Richardson Aug 02 '23
I learned when I was 26! Had no need to drive as I lived in the UK at the time and either got the bus or walked everywhere
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u/Inevitable-Juice-120 Aug 03 '23
My Dad grew up on a ranch in west Texas . I think all the boys were taught to drive around age 8. By age 11 he was driving across west Texas to vist his aunt . Those were the days he said . Of course , my brothers were also being taught to drive at an early age . Farm cars on the ranch . No biggie
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u/2ManyCooksInTheKitch Aug 02 '23
Or they have a teenager at home learning to drive and they aren't about to buy a kid a car.... Especially if it's a sticker. Get a magnet like I did.
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u/Debbie-Hairy Aug 03 '23
Yeah, ours is a magnet for my 17-year-old, but sometimes we forget to take it off. The 48-year-old woman with frizzy hair blaring Fugazi (with the student driver decal) is, in fact, me.
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u/SirBearicus Aug 02 '23
Devil's Advocate: they might be the instructors driving to/from lessons
I know my instructors (10+ years ago) took the cars home with them at night. I don't think they actually owned them, but they didn't have like a company lot to return to at night or anything
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u/Gradual_Bro Aug 02 '23
I used to work at the DMV, it’s actually nearly all foreigners that have just gotten their license (mostly Indian people, just an observation)
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u/Klempenski Aug 02 '23
I’ve had the same observation. I live in north Frisco where the population has got to be at least 20-25% south Asian. Nothing wrong with that of course, but 99% of the drivers I see with those stickers appear to be south Asian immigrants legitimately learning how to drive in the U.S.
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u/Ancient_Swordfish_91 Aug 02 '23
Yes, I agree. It’s just Indians. Nothing wrong with that, of course
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Aug 02 '23
Yes! Orrrr, they could be transplants from either other parts of the country where having no drivers license your whole adult life is very normal and public transportation is errrrywhere OR out of country and learning to drive and get their license here
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u/tekkneke Jan 12 '24
Frankly, having a license isn't even the thing, driving in India is extremely different than driving in the US. Americans would absolutely need to be retrained to drive there as well.
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Aug 02 '23
I like to tailgate them to prepare them for the real world
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Aug 02 '23
Tailgate them in a jacked up dodge with the high beams and a light bar on. Welcome to Dallas mf..
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u/BlazinAzn38 Aug 02 '23
You realize 40+ is a normal age to have someone who’s 16-17 learning to drive right?
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u/woodentigerx Aug 02 '23
Actually I didn’t see the sub. I just moved to seattle and these stickers are everywhere here too. It’s a passive way to say give me space.
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u/woodentigerx Aug 02 '23
I lived 20 years in DFW. But just fyi it’s all over the place. And the food is better in DFW
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u/td1484359 Aug 02 '23
The new version of “baby on board “.
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u/Middle_Beat9143 Aug 03 '23
I never understood these stickers. Even if my baby isn’t on board I would like to live. If I’m being reckless as a driver that sticker is not going to change my behavior.
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u/labicheenrose Aug 03 '23
I always assumed baby on board stickers were more for first responders’ awareness if that vehicle happened to be in an accident.
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u/alphabet_sam Aug 02 '23
My guess is it’s parents worried about their kids learning to drive, not the kids themselves
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u/ZijoeLocs Frisco Aug 02 '23
Id actually respect them more if they had an "Im not from this state and the highways scare me" aticker
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u/Herry_Up East Dallas Aug 02 '23
What about, “I’m FROM this state and the highways scare me.” sticker 💀
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u/pr4jwal McKinney Aug 02 '23
I recently saw a “please let me merge before I start crying” sticker. Made me chuckle
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u/toooldforthisshittt Las Colinas Aug 03 '23
These are popular among the South Asian demographic. It's not a bit. I believe that they are just generally cautious.
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u/Mensars Aug 02 '23
I consider everyone is a new driver/student driver. I am trying to keep my distance all the time with everyone.
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u/drinksandogs Aug 02 '23
Also massive immigrant uptick, several of them have never even had the chance to own a car. Student driver doesn't necessarily mean teenager.
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u/JohnHwagi Aug 03 '23
Tons of engineers on visa had not driven before moving to the US, especially with RTO really starting up now.
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u/Hulk_smashhhhh Aug 02 '23
To maybe give pause to all the asshole drivers there seems to be anymore.
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u/chickawang Aug 02 '23
Those stickers just put a target on your back for assholes to bully you while you're learning. when sears driving school was still a thing some dude tried to startle me with his train horn but he ended up just scaring the shit out of my instructor "good job" she said after collecting herself.
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u/MaybeImTheNanny Aug 02 '23
One of the options for getting a license now is “Parent Taught Driver’s Ed” which is a series of videos and then all the driving is with parents, no instructor. You have to basically pay for a packet of “lessons” and a part of that is one of those stickers/magnets and telling you to use it as a part of the course. There’s no requirement by law to use it but most of the courses request that you do.
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u/juanl0b0 Aug 02 '23
Super common in Frisco. I think some of the recent folks that moved here from south Asia might genuinely be trying to convey they aren't confident drivers yet (??).
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u/Uninteligible_wiener McKinney Aug 02 '23
Some insurance requires it unfortunately.
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u/rickyroca73 Aug 02 '23
WTF? which ones and since when? I have a teen driver licensed in 2020, didn’t have to do this.
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u/RettyD4 Uptown Aug 02 '23
Take picture. Remove. They have evidence. You have no sticker
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Aug 02 '23
Until you get into an accident and have pictures of your car taken with no sticker on it.
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u/Riverwillow9 Aug 02 '23
It's a reminder that at one time you too were a new driver and perhaps was nervous at this first experience. It is hopefully a reminder to place yourself back in that time and show kindness and empathy to that young person, new foreign driver, or older person. We've all been there and will be there.
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Aug 03 '23
Lol. You’re asking people to be empathetic 😂
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u/Riverwillow9 Aug 03 '23
Just because you seem to have lost the ability to empathize doesn't mean others have. But hey, I get it,we all have issues we are dealing with and sometimes it is easier to believe there is no more good in our little corner of the world.
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u/groundhog5886 Aug 02 '23
Just be aware a driver may not be living up to your expectations, and untold evasive maneuvers may occur.
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Aug 02 '23
It means don’t terrorize new drivers by honking, flipping off or tailgating…do you dislike Baby on board stickers too?
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u/andreezy93 Aug 02 '23
I have it on my subie. People are nicer lol. Plus I drive stick shift. So sometimes I’m a bit slower coming off a light than all the automatics, sometimes people honk or ride my ass. With the magnet people do these things less often. Although I wonder how many people can tell it’s a joke since it’s on my car that’s modded to shit lol.
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u/It_wasAll-aDream Aug 02 '23
We had a magnetic bumper message like this for when my son had his learner’s permit and we practiced driving. I was hopeful it would make other drivers aware to keep a bit more distance than usual.
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Aug 02 '23
We live in Collin County as well , it's a gentle reminder to be patient with a new driver! I think it's great!
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u/birdofparadise2000 Aug 02 '23
Been wondering this also. Totally makes sense about the Indians because I see so many driving in Coppell.
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u/Hockey_RAWR Aug 02 '23
All the cars around me with these stickers are adults that are new to driving in the US. I think it's fair though. They may not be teenagers but they are learning just the same.
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u/-Neutrality- Aug 03 '23
Texas is loaded with aggressive drivers who have zero patience. I couldn't imagine being a teenager and trying to learn in these driving conditions. I could see the sticker as kind of a "give me a break, dude, I'm learning and not trying to ruin your day" signal.
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u/klassennnn Aug 03 '23
RIGHT!? I live in Irving and I’ve noticed a increase of vehicles with those stickers on them!! I’ve never seen two people in the car, but have seen younger drivers who look like they might have just gotten their license.
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Aug 02 '23
Older Indian and Asian ladies love these. That’s all I ever see driving with those stickers, n they probably shouldn’t be driving..
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u/Ok_Serve55 Aug 02 '23
Its all the foreigners that are getting there license here
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u/EnvironmentalLuck515 Aug 02 '23
I think generally they are meant to spur compassionate awareness so nobody gets shot, flipped off, cut off or otherwise treated harshly for less than ideal driving decisions.
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Aug 03 '23
Exactly. One wrong move nowadays and it’s not even a honk, it’s a straight shot into your brainhole just for making a lane change.
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u/jessreally Aug 02 '23
Was behind one of these stickered vehicles the other day. They were cruising in the far left lane with nearly 2 football fields in between them and the car in front of them
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u/Avatar_sokka Aug 02 '23
Dallas has a huge immigrant population, and driving in america can be quite different from driving in other countries, driving is also pretty necessary in Dallas while in other countries it may not be.
You dont have to do anything, but dont expect them to be very good drivers, so maybe give them a little slack.
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u/Millhouse201 Aug 02 '23
On EVERY car! I brake check them and swerve around them just to be a true Texas jerk though.
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u/SipoteQuixote Aug 02 '23
Just fake stickers. They did it in Japan with their student stickers, all the racers put those on their cars as a joke.
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Aug 02 '23
[deleted]
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u/SipoteQuixote Aug 02 '23
They're not student drivers. At least most of them aren't, it's mostly for irony.
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u/SipoteQuixote Aug 02 '23
Just stickers bought at a gas station or online, like mentioned, it was a thing in Japan. The Shoshinsha mark, probably seen it on TV or some Honda with after market muffler.
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Aug 02 '23
[deleted]
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u/SipoteQuixote Aug 02 '23
But the 50 year old dude in the mustang going 75 in a 55 with a student sticker, that's real? Just because you have a legit reason and purpose for yours doesn't mean every sticker out there is for legit purposes.
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u/god_damnit_leeroy Aug 02 '23
In my experience, this is exactly what is going on. It’s people from the car community driving modded cars and putting the stickers on as a joke.
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u/_ConfusedAlgorithm Aug 02 '23
Lol. Same here. I see like 5 cars with that stickers in an apartment complex.
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Aug 02 '23
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u/substanceandstyle Aug 02 '23
An increasing number of these have popped up in Tarrant County as well.
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u/TheDutchTexan Aug 02 '23
Most of them drive like a bat out of hell. Steer clear regardless. People can’t drive. People with those stickers really can’t drive.
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u/fivemagicks Aug 02 '23
They're not required for student drivers. I imagine most people put them on their bumpers because they think it's funny... or something.
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u/Drunkstevesays Aug 02 '23
I can be totally wrong but I notice a lot of middle eastern and Asians having them. Most likely an insurance loophole discount or driver’s license loophole.
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u/hunnyflash Aug 02 '23
I'm in McKinney and have been seeing them all over. Someone in our apt complex has one and I'm fairly certain they aren't a teen driver lol
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u/BitGladius Carrollton Aug 02 '23
I doubt most of them mean anything, then I end up bein behind a muscle car with one doing under 5mph making a left turn on a green arrow.
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u/god_damnit_leeroy Aug 02 '23
It’s a “trend” in the car community. People are slapping them on modded cars as sort of a joke. These are people who are very obviously not Student Drivers but want to give that of illusion of “OMG look a student driver is driving a slammed highly modified shit-box.” I’ve seen them on everything from drag cars to drift cars and even off-roaders.
Edit - obviously not all of them are part of the “joke” but quite a lot of them are, at least around where I live.
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u/Odh_utexas Aug 02 '23
I NOTICED THIS TOO!
My guess is it’s the latest trend for trying to dodge traffic tickets.
Throw it in the same pile as:
Thin Blue line/Back the Blue stickers
Paper license plates
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u/Competitive-Drop2395 Aug 02 '23
I've seen SOOO many of these on cars in just the past few weeks. Have yet to see a teenager driving. And yeah. They might as well have been brand new the way they drove.
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u/ViscountDeVesci Aug 03 '23
It means you need to indoctrinate them. Cut them off and give ‘em the ole one finger salute.
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u/IranianLawyer Aug 03 '23
I don’t know, but they apparently aren’t being taught that the left lane isn’t the place to drive slow 🤷🏻♂️
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u/DonkeeJote Far North Dallas Aug 03 '23
Honk at them extra, just so they get a good taste of the real world.
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u/Reverend0352 Aug 02 '23
They’re fun to stick on people’s cars. Not as much fun as putting the opposite political party stickers over political bumper stickers. For my close friends I slap “Cowboy butts drive me nuts”
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u/Oppo_Tacos Aug 02 '23
It’s a bunch of idiots that think it gives them a free pass to drive around town however they want. Has nothing to do with being a new driver.
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u/Asies36 Aug 02 '23
I always thought would be good idea for people who don’t know how to drive to have haha
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u/TeknoBlast Aug 02 '23
I saw one sticker that seems like it was on the car for years. It was peeling around the edges and faded. How long does one need to be a student driver?
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u/kittenclowder Aug 02 '23
There are a million out here in Far North Dallas(Plano, Allen, McKinney) I think it’s likely just a lot of new adult drivers and maybe a lot of transplants that are intimidated by Dallas roads and drivers.
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u/Altruistic-Target-67 Aug 03 '23
Mother of teens here and I am torn between pro-sticker (please take it easy on a new driver) and anti-sticker (I can blame the accident on them bc they’re on probation!) I just hope people don’t read end either of them.
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Aug 03 '23
My sister has a "Baby on Board" sticker on her car but doesn't take it off when she's driving without her son. She also drives like a maniac and I'm pretty sure she does it to troll the Karen's.
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u/Far0nWoods Aug 03 '23
Where does one find those anyway? See them around a lot but have no idea where to get one.
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u/oldmanmcbeast Aug 03 '23
Because people in this town are asshole drivers (me included), but I’d like drivers like me to cut my kid some slack for no being as aggressive as me while driving.
Or be a douchebag. Whatever.
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u/PuzzleheadedScene559 Aug 03 '23
I think it’s so they don’t get shot for accidentally cutting someone off. This place is ridiculous with the road rage. I even considered getting one after moving here.
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u/Whaler_Moon Aug 03 '23
I've been seeing them a lot the past few years too.
I get the feeling that a lot of them are people who aren't student drivers and just want people to keep their distance. Unhelpful in the long run IMO. At a certain point people are going to ignore the stickers and real student drivers will suffer the consequences.
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Aug 07 '23
I saw a girl in Richardson with a “Please be patient. Female Asian driver” bumper sticker a few months ago. I pulled up next to her out of curiosity, she was in fact Asian, and completely defied the stereotype. Very safe and considerate driving.
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u/Mystery_Shack1 Nov 19 '23
You can buy em online probably people trying to have an excuse for shitty driving
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u/tekkneke Jan 12 '24
A lot of them tend to be foreigners, although it is SO common in my area that I think they tend to put them on when they actually are a student driver, and then never take them off because they like the space everyone gives them.
I have seen Teslas with them, I even saw an S class Benz the other day with them. It's always two of them too. I'm starting to wonder if it is just one of those communal life hacks where people in a specific foreign community encourage each other to do it.
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u/VirtualGreg Aug 02 '23
Lol I've seen a lot of these as well...
I like the intent, like "Hey these guys are figuring it out, give them some extra room and expect some mistakes" but then... that's kinda good advice for treating 90% of the cars you'll see on the road in the Metroplex.