As YouTube videos go, Kyle's driving test has nothing on Gizmo, the toilet-flushing cat.
But the California Department of Motor Vehicles remains convinced that its 55 videos running on the Web site will make roads a better place to travel, or at the very least, help new drivers to embrace the logic of a traffic circle.
The foray into video sharing, supplemented by the department's page on MySpace.com, is meant to pull in drivers of all ages with driving tips, traffic trivia and, perhaps inadvertently, life advice, dispensed as the Tao of intersections.
"You have to accept right of way when it is yours," Anita says from the Visalia office.
The most popular videos are those that explore the top 10 reasons people fail driving tests. There is abundant instruction on the meaning of dotted white lines, parallel parking and blind spots, much of it set to music apparently performed by an '80s glam rock cover band. Actors simulate parking gone wrong and other driving misadventures.
Since the department's effort began last month, some of the clips have been viewed nearly 5,000 times. In comparison, "Gizmo Flushes" has been viewed 3.4 million times over the last 18 months.
"We are always looking at ways to reach people, teens especially," said a department spokeswoman, Jan Mendoza. "And let's face it, the Internet is huge. We thought it would be really cool since YouTube is free."
Visitors to the DMV's MySpace page can "Ask George" questions about all manner of things vehicular, like: "Is it illegal to drive under the speed limit on the freeway? It sure seems unsafe."
And: "I was recently issued a traffic citation. Is it possible for me to pay for it online?"
People can also register to vote and conduct DMV business.
"It is kind of a complement to the YouTube," Mendoza said.
As is perhaps less than surprising for a DMV MySpace page, the department has fewer than 40 friends. One has made positive comments about the program, posting, "DMV has made great strides in customer service and has broken that old stereotype!!"
But that person is Mendoza, whose own MySpace page shows her in full rodeo regalia.
Oh, and "Kyle" fails his driving test, a bit of news he absorbs like the soap opera star he may someday be. No matter. He has a bunch of department videos to set him on his way.
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