OT: State of licensing in the US, How hard is it where you live? Options

[lapuwali]

Howard's thread about the consequences of not teaching teens how to drive got me wondering.

I went through the whole driver training ritual in 1980, so I have no idea what the current state of driver training is in the US. Texas (where I learned) had a pretty good program. Run in the high school, mandatory, with both driving classes, textbook classes, and an interesting interactive movie.

I'm told that most high schools don't have driver's ed anymore, due to cost-cutting. Is this true nationwide, or only here in California? Is it even true in all of California? I see "Student Driver" cars from time to time (saw one this morning), and I'm sure it's not mandatory. I presume this is strictly a private, voluntary thing?

I also know Europe is much stricter than here. I'm familiar with the UK testing system, how's the system in Germany (Andy?), or Austria (Gustl?), or the Netherlands (Yaroooon?).

Getting anyone to pay for better training in the US is probably politically impossible, though it strikes me that perhaps having the insurance companies help out here by offering a substantial discount from the usual outrageous teen driver rates for those teens who complete an accredited course sounds sensible to me.

[Porcharu]

Like Andy said - it is way to easy to get a licence here in Kalifornia. Pick your language you would like the test in or just use the "picture" test.
I had to take the written "exam" after I lost my wallet and needed a replacement exam. After taking all of 3 or 4 minutes the clerk graded it and informed me that I passed - barely - I looked at it and said no way did I miss that question your master is wrong. She used the wrong master, I aced the test. Lots of teenage girls around me were crying because they had failed - again.
I don't drive the 914 all that often because of the terrrible hyper aggressive drivers around here. I always notice how bad drivers are in the bay area when returning from a trip to Oregon - as soon as I hit highway 80 the assholes suddenly appear. When I brought my CNC mill home from Portland a few months ago I did not get cut off or tailgated (I'm towing a 7000 lb trailer with an 8000 lb. truck) until I hit highway 80.
People are just clueless about driving and the fact that what they do or don't do could kill them (preferable) or someone else.