• Driving 10/18 09:28am

• Failed my driving test thrice. What next? 10/21 04:51pm

• Female instructor 10/18 09:28am

• Hand on wheel, hand on back of seat while in reverse? What do instructors look for? 10/17 02:05pm

• I finally passed my test--Still nervous about driving alone though... 10/21 04:51pm

• Maintaining Speed 10/21 04:52pm

• Parallel parking 10/21 04:51pm

• Provisional UK Licence 10/10 05:51pm

• Should teenagers have a curfew? 10/21 04:52pm

• Should the Licensing Age be Raised? 10/21 04:52pm

• The Road Test: How to Stay Calm and Drive Right While NERVOUS?! 09/24 05:12pm

• Yikes! Day 2 of driving practice 10/21 04:51pm

I have a Learning Disability and it's preventing me from getting behind the wheel. I want to learn how to drive very much. What advice can someone give for going for my license? I'd like to get my license eventually but, I am a bit nervous. I've been trying to get the nerve to sign up for lessons.

Hi, Stephanie--

I would contact local driving schools and then communicate your concerns to the instructors there--You'll probably find that they have handled such concerns before and will be helpful in working with you. There's a listing of driving schools here--maybe under "Training"?

Good luck!

--PA tortoise

Thank you tortoise driver (Patortoise)for responding to my question. While I just got off the phone with the DMV I was told that someone could read the test to me. That's fine. But my thing is I want to make sure that I can comprehend the instructors instruction. Noone understands what I'm going thru unless they are in my situation. Well I hope one day I'll have my license.

Just make sure you communicate that clearly and you should be fine, Stephanie. I'm sure the instructors have taught drivers with learning disabilities before, or at the very least, have been trained to do so. Good luck! And let us know how lessons go!

Stephanie,

I don't know where you are located but have you tried to contact any of the driver centers that specialize in drivers who have difficulties.

Some driving schools do it, but there are also driver assessment centers and rehab centers which have special expertise.

in particular, try this Web site
Assoc for Driver Rehab spec

my name is billy and i have a school project.
my project is "should there be a age limit in driving". i think there should be and i need help to find good reasons why there should be.

Billy,

There has been a lot of research all over the world about young drivers, because more of them are killed and injured compared to how many of them there are in the population, than other age groups. So it is a very important subject.

To start with, have a look at some of the other topics on this web site, and especially the one called ‘new drivers’. Among other things there is reference to a symposium called ‘new to the road: reducing the risks for young drivers’. It has a lot of academic papers about the problems facing young drivers. The symposium was held in 1995 but the information is still current.

Another thing to do is to talk to your state licensing office or Department of Motor Vehicles and ask them about the State licensing age, and why they have it at that age and not higher or lower.

Different countries, and different states within countries, have different licensing ages. In many places people can get a license as young as 16. In most of the States in Australia, where I come from, the licensing age is 17. In the State of Victoria, Australia it is 18.

Most people agree that it is safer to have a higher age limit for new drivers, for several reasons. The most important reason is that the younger a person is, the less likely he or she is to be able to see or understand the risks in traffic. Younger drivers can do risky things without understanding that what they are doing is dangerous. Also, teens are more likely to take risks for the buzz than when they are a little older. Taking risks in cars is more likely to be lethal than taking other kinds of risks.

Another reason people sometimes use is that raising the licensing age to, say, 18 just keeps young people out of cars for longer and reduces the chance of them being involved in a crash (academics say that this is ‘reducing exposure’).

These days, most people doing research about young driver safety agree that with our present knowledge, there is no short cut to being a safe driver. The best way to become a safe driver is by gaining driving experience, if possible under controlled and safer driving conditions. This is why many legislatures have introduced ‘graduated licensing schemes’ which stretch out the length of time between when a person can get a learner license and when they can get a full license. It is also the reason for having night curfews (not allowing a young person to drive at night), because night is one of the riskiest times to drive.

If there is a younger licensing age, it is not possible to gain the experience and practise before getting a full license and being allowed to drive alone.

One State legislature in Australia, New South Wales, allows young people to get a learner license at 16 after passing a ‘driver knowledge test’. While young people have their learner license they must be accompanied by a licensed driver. As well, they have to keep a log book that shows they have had at least 50 hours driving practise under all kinds of driving conditions while they held their learner license. They then have to take a driving test no earlier than age 17. After they take their driving test they have to go through two stages of a ‘provisional’ license with two more tests, and do not have full driving privileges until at least 20 years of age.

Hope this is of some help.

Thank you both tortoise driver (Patortoise) & Dan for your advice. I am trying to make arrangements now for when i to take my lessons. I will let you both know the outcome.

Hey, can anyone help me? I am currently a non-U.S. citizen and I was wondering how exactly do I get my license, and what do I have to do? I only have a student visa, and am not applied to a work permit for a few months. I need to be able to drive asap, but I don't want to go out there with minimal driving skills. My parents say I need to pay $200 to go to driving school, and it is mandatory by the state. I am 18 years old, and I would like to know how I can get it myself. Thanks for your help!

When backing a car, never use one hand on the wheel to turn it more than 45 degrees of motion. Use both hands and sit one "one cheek" of your butt, depending on which way you are turning. Never use your rear view inside mirror when backing. (its for going forward only) If you have to reverse and change directions, hit the brake, stop, turn around onto the other cheek and continue backing while looking behind. Never stop looking behind you until your vehicle has stop.Nover proceed faster than a walking pace no matter how clear things look.

Hi! I'm looking for a Modem Drive with INTEL chipset, the model is #ENF656-GSW-INPR, is to my Win-XP, I was looking at internet, but no sucsess.
I'm using a AMD 1.33 Ghz and WIN-XP, any help will be fine.
TIA

i'm in grade nine and doing a project about whether or not we should raise the limit for teen driving from 16 to 18(i live in alberta canada). where would i be able to find information on this?

Dear Brad Farine,
The first place I would contact is your state Department of Motor Vehicles should this be of no help You can contact a friend of mine at Propulsion his name is Gilles (Gil) Payant he could answer just about all questions for you his Email R.Vezina@prop-Drivers-Ed.com phone number is 1-514-444-7000 or 1-888-444-7001 address is 3500 Matte, Ste.#214 Brossard, Qc. Canada J4y 2z2 good luck!
Aclovis

I have heard that some states have laws that if you are driving and there is a line of cars behind you, you have to pull over to let them pass, even if you are going the speed limit. Is that true? Where can I find a copy of that law?

Hi,
I am currently 17 years old. I am only turning 18 in 11 months.

I live in South Africa and I have a learners license. The problem is that I may only do my drivers test and get a full license at the age of 18.

Is there any way that I could obtain a drivers license sooner? For example, would I be able to do my license test in a different country? If so, what country/city should I go to?

As far as I am aware, as long as the license is in English and has a photograph, I am permitted to drive with that international license in South Africa. Please inform me if this is incorrect.

Thank you for the help

Ari:
You are incorrect. The International Drivers Permit is not a license, but rather is a translation of a person's current license into several languages. Travellers can therefore carry it with them to help local police translate their license. However, you must have BOTH a registered license in your home country/state, AND the IDP. You cannot just carry an IDP alone. This is promoted by some unscrupulous people, especially on the Internet, but is false, and can get you in trouble with the police wherever you are, especially in your home country (any country), where an IDP is worthless. For more info, see the Drivers.com section on International Permits at http://www.drivers.com/topic/59/

I recommend you just wait the 11 months. Get some practice driving, learn more about the rules, and about other road users, and you'll be a much better and safer driver once you turn 18.

Good luck

Hi,
Firstly, thank you for the response.
Sorry, I was unclear in my message above. When I mentioned "international license", I was refering to a driver's license obtained from a foreign country to mine. I was not refering to the "international driving permit (IDP)".

My question is like this. Could I, for example, go to Canada, where the legal driving age is 16, do my driving test, and then drive with a Canadian drivers license in South Africa?

If so, I need to know what country/city I should go to? Whats the easiest/best place to do the driver's test?

Thanks again!

Ari:

Sorry I misunderstood your first message. But unfortunately, the answer is still no. Most, perhaps all, countries, including Canada, require you to establish residency in that country for a period of time before you can obtain a license. For example, you must live for 3 or 6 months there before you can apply for your license. Proof of residency is required. The steps required also take time, as you must first write a learner's exam, then apply for a driving test. Many jurisdictions require a lengthy period between these two events, for example one year with a restricted license. Only then would you get a full license.

The next step would mean moving back to South Africa, where you would need to talk to the local regulators about the requirements for transferring your "foreign" license to a SA license. For example, many countries require you to get a local license within 3 months of "arrival". After that time, your Canadian or other license would no longer be valid. I do not know what SA requires, but they might require you to write an exam or perhaps take a driving test, though this would be unusual.

what age do you need to be to apply for a provisional license?

The term "provisional license" suggests that you are asking in relation to Britain (in the USA it is a driving permit) though presumably there may be many other countries that use the same phraseology as the UK.

If you ARE asking about Britain, the answer is 17, unless you want a license for a moped or an "invalid carriage", in which case it is 16.

Medium- and large-goods-vehicles have a requirement of 18 and 21, respectively.

Eddie

Hi,
My name is maxwell I am living in South Africa I want to know whether are you allowed to drive car allone when you only have a learners license but you are over 18 years of age.

I've just recently moved to Alberta. I've never driven in my life, but I'm looking into driving schools. Apparently, after I obtain my class 7 licence, I must wait a year before I can write the next test to be permitted to drive without a licenced driver in the passenger's seat (class 5).

Is there any way I can quicken this process and get a class 5 licence sooner?