About getting a driver's license

· By: Drivers.com staff
· Date: 2000-06-12

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What is involved in getting a driver's license? There's no straightforward answer to that question. It depends on where you live and whether you already hold a driver's license for another jurisdiction.

For new drivers there is normally an age requirement (usually 16 or 17 years in the USA and Canada). There is also a medical check, which is usually a simple vision test to see if your eyes have the minimum capability. And most places have a road test, to see if you can actually drive a vehicle well enough to operate in traffic.

Those are the basics. But the details of getting a drivers license vary from place to place around the world. Countries such as Germany and Japan start drivers at a later age (18 years in Germany) and have rigorous training and education requirements. And there are still places where getting a driver's license is as simple as applying for a permit to practice on public roads, waiting a few days, and then taking a very simple road test which may consist of little more than a drive around the block.

Getting tougher

However, with today's busy traffic and high-powered automobiles, there is far less tolerance for incompetent drivers. States, provinces, and countries are, one-by-one, opting for licensing systems that check new drivers more thoroughly and require them to obtain license privileges gradually. In Canada's province of Ontario, for example, new drivers can get a learner permit at age 16 years, but their driving must be supervised by a qualified licensed driver for the first year (eight months if taking a driver education program), and learners must pass a second road test within five years in order to get full license privileges.

Whatever the official requirements, every aspiring driver should have his or her own personal requirements. After all, it's your life, your license, and your future that are at stake. So why not set out your own requirements so you can plan ahead? Here are some suggestions.

Steps to getting a license

The official steps or requirements are about age, vision tests, and road tests. However, there's another way to look at steps, and there are steps you can start on at an earlier age! We will discuss this later, but first here's a suggested list of steps for young people who are approaching driving age:

1. Be ready!
2. Reach minimum age
3. Prepare for theory test if one is required in your area
4. Organize practice time with a co-driver
5. Obtain documentation (birth certificate, identification documents, etc.)
6. Obtain a learner's permit
7. Study, train, and practice for the behind-the-wheel road test
8. Successfully complete road test
9. Do the paperwork (and plan your driving future)

Seems complicated, doesn't it? But these are the steps that drivers typically complete in order to qualify as fully licensed drivers. It doesn't pay to short-circuit any of them!

1-Be ready.

People are different. You don't have to get a license just because you've reached the minimum age! Many perfectly normal teens postpone driving for a variety of reasons: they're too busy, they don't feel they want to, they don't feel ready. It's your choice.

Getting a driver's license has often been described as a "rite of passage" to adulthood, and it is. Driving is not for children! When the minimum driving age is 16 years it comes at a very interesting time in your life-when you are part adult, but still part child. There are lots of advantages in being a child a bit longer.

Taking on the burden of responsibility, for your life and the lives of others, is a huge part of getting a driver's license. But young people like to have fun. Oprah Winfrey demonstrated on her television show a few years ago that even the most responsible teens can get a little crazy behind the wheel when they're with friends, and when parents are nowhere in sight. Having fun with friends is normal for a 16-year-old. But fun while driving can create dangerous situations. So dangerous, in fact, that many jurisdictions are introducing "graduated licensing systems" that restrict circumstances in which teenaged novice drivers can drive. Examples include parts of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA, where longer "learner" periods and restrictions on passenger carrying and night driving are becoming common.

2-Minimum age.

In parts of the world where automobiles and driving are necessities, driving ages tend to be lower. For example in rural U.S. states such as Arkansas, Arizona, and Iowa, the minimum age to get a learner's permit (at the time of writing - Dec. 2000) is 14 years. In Connecticut, Washington D.C., and New Jersey it's 16 years. The age for full licensing in Arkansas is 16 years, but in Massachusetts it's 18 years. Also, many states require that a learner's permit, which requires supervised driving, must be held for a suitable period before full licensing privileges can be granted. A state may require anything from a few days to 180 days (for example, New Jersey). Ontario has a minimum age of 16 years for a learner's permit, and a minimum period of 20 months before a new driver can get a full license.

3-Prepare for theory test if one is required in your area.

Most places now require novice drivers to pass a knowledge test, and this is a part of the licensing process which you can start early, even a year or more before reaching licensing age. But don't rely completely on information from friends and family members - they might be wrong. Most places have an official "Driver's Handbook" which is often given out free or at low cost. Throughout the USA and Canada there are only minor differences in traffic and driving rules from state to state and province to province. The state of Florida has an excellent driver's handbook you can read for free.

4-Organize practice time and a co-driver.

You've got to practice. This means convincing parents, family members, or friends that you are ready. The first three steps go a long way towards achieving this. For more detail read our " Learning to drive: a guide for parents" online booklet. This was first published in 1985 and has been used by school boards, driving schools, and major web sites such as CNN.

5-Obtain documentation.

Information about documents you require will be provided in your local driver's handbook. This typically includes proof of date of birth and something that positively identifies you such as a passport or other personal identification document that includes a photograph.

6-Obtain a learner's permit.

A "learner's permit" is usually required before you can practice driving on public roadways. It will have certain restrictions attached to it (depending on where you live). Many jurisdictions require you to drive with a learner's permit for a certain period of time before you can apply for a full license. You'll find a link to requirements for U.S. states in our licensing section.

7-Study, train, and practice.

Our "Guide for parents" booklet has lots of hints on this. But a word of warning! One of the biggest criticisms of licensing systems is that they only qualify drivers to drive, they don't require a thorough preparation for dealing with modern traffic conditions. This is true. A good professional training program will show you how much farther you can take your driving skills as you train and practice, even after licensing.

8-Successfully complete the road test.

Most people think of this as the toughest part: but it's not, as long as you prepare properly. You need to understand what driver examiners are looking for. The best source for this information is your professional instructor.

Nervousness is a big problem too. Some beginners get very nervous, and driver examiners understand this so they may make allowances for it. Examiners probably worry more about over-confidence, which can be dangerous. Passing the test is NEVER guaranteed, no matter how good you are. Things can go wrong and it may not even be your fault. Sometimes things happen in traffic that even a highly experienced driver might have difficulty dealing with.

So don't put a lot of pressure on yourself to pass (for example, telling everyone at school you're taking the test tomorrow and you'll definitely pass it!).

9-Do the paperwork (and plan your driving future).

This will be described in your local driver's handbook. Remember, once you've got that piece of paper in your hand you've completed the first stage of becoming an accomplished driver. Now comes the part that most experts agree is the most difficult and dangerous - building driving habits.

Here's an important piece of advice: during the first few critical years of building driving habits you will probably build as many bad ones as good ones. Constantly search for the bad ones and catch them before they catch you.

The bad ones will be things you get away with so you think they're OK. You may not even be aware of them but they'll be there, waiting to catch you out. If you're lucky, being 'caught out' will be a mere "incident" - someone honking their horn at you, or a near-miss where you just manage to avoid a crash. If you are unlucky it could be anything from a "fender bender" to a serious collision involving injury or death.

Hardly anyone escapes these expensive lessons in driving. The best way to do so is to be "proactive"; that is, to continually work to improve your driving techniques and habits.

You'll find information about advanced training in our Training area (click the TRAINING link in the menu at left). If you choose to begin the steps to getting your driver's license now, we wish you good luck, and a safe driving career!

LICENSING INFORMATION FOR YOUR AREA (North America)

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