Driver's license Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
are subdivided in different categories.]]A driver's license (UK: driving licence; US: driver's license; Canada, Australia, New Zealand: driver's licence) is an official document which states that a person has the necessary qualifications to drive a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck, or a bus.
In most European countries a person has to be at least seventeen or eighteen years old to drive a car.
In the U.S. and Canada, the driving age is determined by the state or province, with the most common age being sixteen. Most states and provinces also have restricted driver's licenses (also called learner's permits), which allow a person to drive provided they are accompanied by a licensed driver. There has also been a trend toward "graduated driver's licenses", in which new (especially young) drivers are gradually allowed more driving privileges instead of being given complete driving privilege all at once. Learner's permits are granted by some states to drivers as young as fourteen.
In the United States and most of Canada, a driver's license has a unique number or alphanumeric code issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent), a photograph of the bearer, a copy of his signature, the address of his primary residence, the type or class of license, the physical characteristics of the bearer (like height, weight, hair color, and sometimes even skin color) and birthdate. For these reasons, the possession of a driver's license is a de facto requirement for completion of many common business transactions, and driver's licenses are the focus of many kinds of identity theft.
The driving age for a car or van is seventeen, while a moped or restricted-power motorcycle can be ridden at sixteen. Until a driving test has been passed (which consists of two sections: a theory-based test and a supervised driving examination) a driver will hold a Provisional Licence, and must display learner plates (a large red L on a white background) on the front and back of the vehicle. They must also be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years of age and has held a full driving license for at least three years. [1]
Registration was introduced in 1903 with the Motor Car Act. Competency tests were introduced in 1935 by the Motor Vehicles Regulations 1935; they were suspended in 1939 for seven years due to the Second World War, and in 1956 for one year due to the Suez Crisis. [1]
New Zealand has had a graduated driver licence system since 1987. It consists of three phases:
A Learner licence can be applied for at age fifteen. This means the minimum possible age to gain a Full Licence is sixteen and a half.
Driver licences carry a unique identifying number, date of birth and photograph of the holder, and apart from passports and a special-purpose 18+ card are the only legal form of ID for buying alcohol or tobacco. They also carry a legend declaring whether or not the holder wishes to donate their organs if they die on the road, however, the next-of-kin are consulted first and decide whether or not organs will be donated regardless of the wishes of the licence-holder.
Land Transport Safety Authority car licensing site
The minimum age limit is 18 for cars (14 for mopeds). In fact, the Learner's Licence for cars is not given until at least the date of the applicant's 18th birthday and is withheld until the theoretical exam is passed. Learner plates (a magnetic or non-magnetic blue square with a white "L" on it) are to be used when the driver is one whom holds a Learner's Licence. Trips driven by the Learner Driver must be accompanied by an individual of at least 23 years of age who has possessed a valid licence for at least three years. Motorways may be accessed only by those who have "experience skills" and are "ready for the exam". Test drives must not interfere with traffic as usual. The official licence is given after a somewhat challenging on-the-road exam, based on a successful theoretical examination. Public roads require a driver's licence, while private roads can be driven without one, subject to the land proprietor's consent.
Minimum age varies from 18 (for cars) all the way up to 26 (for large buses). Learner's licences, although granted, have little effect, as most training takes place within the confines of specially-designed training areas inaccessible, on paper, to the general motoring public. Previously, expressways were inaccessible even for holders of a normal driver's licence if they did not possess the licence for a full year; however, such a regulation has now been invalidated. Such drivers (with licences less than a year old), however, are still considered "intern drivers" or "new drivers" (in Chinese, shixi siji), and certain limitations apply to them (e.g., they must display a uniform label on the car when they're driving). The PRC considers the driving licence, under a new law, an administrative licence (in Chinese, xingzheng xuke).
In the United States and Canada, persons who drive commercially (especially truckers and taxi drivers) are required to have special licences, sometimes called chauffeur's licences. In the United Kingdom, one must hold a Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV) licence to drive a bus carrying more than eight passengers, or a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) licence to drive a lorry (truck) licensed to carry a weight greater than 3500 kg. The cost of taking the series of tests and examinations to obtain these licences usually means that that an employer would subsidise their drivers.
The holder of a licence from any EU member country can drive in any other EU country. Most countries worldwide will also recognise the licences of citizens of foreign states wishing to drive as visitors. All EU member countries now issue licences in a standard format, regardless of the language of the licence. The International Driving Permit (IDP) (sometimes erroneously called the International Drivers' Licence) is a booklet which is an authorized translation of a driver's home licence into many languages (especially languages with different scripts such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, etc.), and is typically obtained from the Automobile Association or equivalent organization in the driver's home country. The IDP has no validity except when used in conjunction with the driver's own licence.
The People's Republic of China at present does not recognize IDPs (although Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan do) and requires drivers to get an additional PRC licence before being officially allowed on all roads.
Because the United States and Canada have no national identification cards and because of the widespread use of cars, drivers' licenses are typically used in both countries as a form of identification. Most state and provincial driver's license bureaus also issue identification cards for nondrivers.
Many European countries require drivers to carry ID cards as well as their licence. Citizens of the UK, which has no national ID card, may have to carry their passports instead when travelling in these countries. In the PRC, the driver's licence number is synonymous with the ID number of a Chinese citizen (up to 18 numbers long).
Under the US Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, the various states are encouraged to set up programs through which licensed drivers can make organ donations for the purpose of transplant by a notation on their license.
For information on driving, and especially on safe driving, see Driving.
This is an Article on Driver's license. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Driver's license Country specifics
United States and Canada
United Kingdom
New Zealand
Alternatively, people who gained a licence before 1987 or holders of overseas licences can usually get a Full Licence without needing to take a driving test.Switzerland
People's Republic of China
Special licences
International considerations
Use as identification
Miscellaneous
See also
External links
Driving licence on webpage European Union