Driving Licences

[Robin Hood]

I'm currently watching the movie "10" starring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek on BBC 1.

Early in the movie the Dudley Moore character crashes into a police car on the wrong side of the road. One of the things he was charged with was an expired driving licence.

So how long does a licence last in the US? In the UK you pass your driving test and then your licence lasts until your 70th birthday. At which point you have to re-apply every 5 years.

I was just curious.

[Lucky]

lucky you!!

that totally depends on the local state government.
newly licenced drivers in their teens are generally restricted to daytime driving, some states don't even allow teens to drive with other teens in the car or at night

from my experience, licences usually last 5-7 years & then have to be renewed (more revenue for the state) usually no retesting is done. 

like i said it varies from state to state. others will chime in here i'm sure..

[haunter]

5 years in IL

[Night Vision]

In NY, they are expire every 4 years and have to be renewed. You don't have to take the drivers test over, maybe a quick eye exam at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles and fork over some money..

I like the 70 yr / retest every five idea. Keep the blue hairs outa trouble....

[YellowJacket!]

5 years here but no retesting other than your eyes.  I think its a revenue thing because I got my motorcyclle endorsment last year and thus a whole new license but had to renew this year.  Go figure...

David

[h2olawyer]

Until recently, 5 years in Colorado.  Now it's 10 years & you mail in the renewal.  I think the term is shorter for those over 70.  Lots of new laws regarding both teens & first time licensed drivers - no teens in car for the first year, no night driving for the first 6 months, things like that.  Trying to combat a recent major rise in teen traffic deaths mainly caused by inattention / inexperience & stupidity combined with the feeling of invincibility.

H₂O

[kwells]

think it is 10 yrs in CA

[Mutt]

Every 5 years in NC. All you have to do is be able to speak three English words. "Drivers license please".

Legislature is going to crack down on requirements. Because of past laxness, NC is right behind California and Texas with illegal aliens.  :P

Mutt  :)

[ps2/bikevision]

4 years in michigan. eye exam on renewal.

[o_0_hell_0_o]

Us Californians can send you more illegals if you want... then you can be #1
We have a few to spare
Oh... No... My boy just passed his Motorcycle endorsement today
his 3rd try... he was cocky the first time and thought it would be simple since he already did his car..
then just totally blew it on the 2nd... missed  9
last test missed 2... he was sweating bullets...lol
Now he has a temp permit till he goes to and takes his state "motorcycle rider training course"

[Mutt]

Us Californians can send you more illegals if you want... then you can be #1
We have a few to spare
Oh... No... My boy just passed his Motorcycle endorsement today
his 3rd try... he was cocky the first time and thought it would be simple since he already did his car..
then just totally blew it on the 2nd... missed  9
last test missed 2... he was sweating bullets...lol
Now he has a temp permit till he goes to and takes his state "motorcycle rider training course"

No thankyou, we have enough now. We'd like to share with surronding states such as Va, or Tn.

Man, I hate this kid starting to drive/ride thing. My daughter is 16 but has been dragging her feet getting her license. Of course I haven't been pushing her either because like your son, she's a know-it-all. If I could just keep her hands off the radio/cd player long enough to just drive she'll be alright. Of course there's that insurance thing too ($)  :-\. She hasn't expressed a desire to ride a motorcycle....yet.

Mutt  :)

[hfarley]

Here in NJ it is every 4 years. Just walk in with documentation proving who ya are and renew license.
-Heather

[o_0_hell_0_o]

Just do like I do... remove the stereo ... unplug the power point so they cant use a walkman/mp3 player
buy them and old clunker and put a stop on the throttle so it cant be hot-rodded around
heck... the boy has been driving for almost 2 years... my oldest daughter has her permit.. and my youngest will be getting her permit in about 6 months.. feel lucky with just 1... lol

[haunter]

they only check eyes here if you have a tag on your license for lens/glass I believe

[Robin Hood]

I like the 70 yr / retest every five idea. Keep the blue hairs outa trouble....

They don't have to re-test after 70, just fill in a form and tick boxes to say they're health and eyesight is good.  :o

The BBC aired a documentary yesterday about over 90's who never took a test. The UK introduced the driving test in 1935. If you got your licence before that you never ever had to take a test.

England and Wales have no restrictions on new drivers. In fact learners are not allowed on motorways (freeways) but are immediately after passing test.

I think in Northern Ireland, an 'R' (restricted) plate is required to be displayed for a year and speed is restricted to 45 MPH.

I've heard in Scotland that the government there is considering US style restrictions on power, night driving and carrying young passengers.

[kwells]

not to dis my grandparents but look....after 70 things sometimes stop working rather quickly.  They should be retested every year, in the very least their eyesight should tested annually.

[YellowJacket!]

I know we will all get there some day and some of us are closer than others but this story is enough to substantiate mandatory annual retesting for elderly drivers. http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/20/market.crash.ap/index.html

Sorry if I offend anyone, but working in an acute care hospital I see situations often that make me think some people should not be driving.

Just think about being on your bike when an elderly driver is coming at you in the wrong direction.

David

[Mutt]

I know we will all get there some day and some of us are closer than others but this story is enough to substantiate mandatory annual retesting for elderly drivers. http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/20/market.crash.ap/index.html

Sorry if I offend anyone, but working in an acute care hospital I see situations often that make me think some people should not be driving.

Just think about being on your bike when an elderly driver is coming at you in the wrong direction.

David

As bad as elderly drivers can be, we just had an accident this last Tuesday in Raleigh at 2:40am that involved a 47 year old woman from the western part of the state driving the wrong way on the interstate (I-40). She was driving with her lights off  ??? and a car driven by a 25 year old who just left work didn't see her....they hit head on both excess of 65 mph at impact. Of course both died. I worry as much about young people in tuner cars and hot rods as I do elderly. I'm sure everyone on the forum has to deal with agressive road rage drivers. I can be doing 10mph over the limit and it's still not fast enough for most people.

Mutt  :)

[vavision]

I have a cdl so you renew on a schedule. if the next renew date is 4 years away, then when you first get the license it's 4 years. after that it's every 5

[Sable]

In New Hampshire, your first license is 4 years, then it needs to be renewed every five years... It costs about $50.00 for just the driver's license, then like $30.00 for each additional endorsement (like motorcycle, CDL, Bus, etc.). New drivers (under the age of 20) are prohibited from driving between 1 am and 5 am, and for the first 90 days, they have to drive with someone licensed over the age of 25.After they have had their license 90 days, they can transport firends their own age. Also, they can't have more people in the car than are seatbelts. Also, if they even get one moving violation, they automatically loose their license for 30 days for the first offense, then it doubles for each additional offense, not to exceed 180 days.

I heard rumors that in some countries in Europe, when you get your license that lasts until age 70, it costs over a thousand dollars and the training is a lot more extensive than it is here in the States. And statistics show that they are safer drivers too. I can't verify any of this, and would like to find out.

~John