Driver's license

A driver's license (UK: driving licence; US: driver license) 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.

Country specifics

In most European countries a person has to be at least seventeen or eighteen years old to drive a car.

United States and Canada

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, a driver's license has a photograph of the bearer, a copy of his signature, his street address, and other important information. For this reason, posession of a driver's license is a de facto requirement to complete many common business transactions, and driver's licenses are the focus of many kinds of identity theft.

United Kingdom

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 License, 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 either 21 years of age or who has been driving (with a full license) for at least three years.

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.

Switzerland

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.

People's Republic of China

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).

Special licences

In the United States and Canada, persons who drive commercially (especially truckers and taxi drivers) are required to have special licenses, sometimes called chauffeur's licenses. In the United Kingdom, one must hold a Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV) license to drive a bus carrying more than eight passengers, or a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) license 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 licenses usually means that that an employer would subsidise their drivers.

International considerations

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 authorised 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 organisation in the drivers 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 recognise IDPs (although Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan do) and requires drivers to get an additional PRC licence before officially allowed on all roads.

Use as identification

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).

Miscellaneous

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.

See also

For information on driving, and especially on safe driving, see Driving.