COVER
‘ LARRY ’
RETIRES AFTER 20-YEAR REIGN OF 'TERROR' INFAMOUS DMV INSTRUCTOR ISN'T SO SCARY, AFTER ALL BY JESSICA LIPSKY
Y
oung driver-hopefuls in line at the Pleasanton DMV smiled uneasily early this summer at the thought of the legendary man who might be their driving test examiner. “I hear that he wears a lei and he’s really strict,” said Allie Dutto, 16. A few feet behind her in line, Divya Eppiah, who was getting her learner’s permit, chimed in with her own warning: “First of all, he’s scary — and it’s very unlikely he’ll pass you on your driver’s test, so you should go somewhere else.” She added that when the time came she planned to be tested at the Walnut Creek Department of Motor Vehicles even though it would mean navigating the twists, turns and right-of-ways in that city. Larry Chan’s reputation obviously preceded him, even among teenagers who have been alive less than the total amount of time he worked as a licensing
Page 14ÊUÊSeptember 16, 2011ÊUÊPleasanton Weekly
registration examiner. Known as “Scary Larry” Valley-wide, Chan was the supposed terror of the Pleasanton DMV for 20 years. But on July 29, he officially retired his clipboard and checklist to “drive into the sunset.” Chan, 63, who has a long ponytail and regularly dons a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, says the legend he leaves behind isn’t important. “I have no control over that. I have no control of my nickname. A couple years ago it kind of bothered me, but now I accept it,” he said. “I’m here not to be friends, I’m just here to make sure they don’t hurt themselves or other people.” While Chan said he is called Scary Larry because he once “slipped” and called a driver scary, an informal survey of Tri-Valley residents told quite a different account. These drivers also told tales of avoiding the Pleasanton DMV. “Of course kids want to use my nickname to blame me for their fail. That’s natural,” said Chan, who was
quick to point out that his fail rate last year was 32 percent, right in line with the state average of 30 to 33 percent. “They always tell their friends, ‘Scary Larry failed me.’ I always say it’s not me that failed the test — it’s their driving that failed the test.” Although he accounted for some of the nervousness during the 15-point examination, the thought of driving with Scary Larry made teens at one driving school so anxious that the owners took matters into their own hands to demystify him. “I had so many students that passed with him, but half get nervous because he’s famous as a ‘mean man.’ Most of the kids have a nightmare about him,” said Pari Eshtehardi, office manager and partner at Driversity of Dublin. Five years ago, the employees at Driversity hung a picture of Chan on their classroom wall with a sign underneath reading: “Larry is our friend.” “We just tried to let them know that he’s not so scary. He’s very serious and he goes by the book,”