Archive for the ‘Driver’ Category
A license to drive is a document that gives the holder the legal right to drive a motorized vehicle on the road. It is also an acknowledgement by the issuing authority that the holder has undergone some form of training to operate the vehicle and can competently handle it without causing any harm to other road users.
Acquiring a license to drive is a process which usually starts after one has attained a certain pre-set age. The minimum age at which one can get a driver’s license in most countries is 16 years, in others it’s set at 18 years. However, those countries that license 16 year olds to drive motor vehicles have slightly different sets of requirements for the teens and for the adult driver-to-be.
In order to be licensed, teens must undertake a traffic safety education course and must have held an instruction permit for not less than 6 months. The traffic safety education course, teaches driver’s knowledge through classroom instruction. An instruction permit on the other hand allows one to practice driving. In addition, the teenager must have practiced driving for over 50 hours under the supervision of a duly experienced driver.
If the teen has been convicted of an alcohol or drug offense since the time of acquiring the instruction permit, then he or she will be denied a license. It is also possible for parents to teach their teen how to drive, provided they follow legal procedures laid out within their area. Each country has different specifications. In others, the task of training people to become drivers is solely the preserve of driving schools which are run by fully trained driving instructors.
Once these pre-licensing requirements have been fulfilled, the teenager then makes a formal application for a driver’s license together with proof of attendance and pass at traffic safety education course, a parental authorization certificate and an application fee. He or she must then take a driving test. The parental authorization certificate is meant to demonstrate that the parents will take responsibility incase the teenager is involved in a traffic violation.
Adults who are over 18 years of age have less stringent requirements. For as long as they know how to drive and can comfortably handle a vehicle, they can simply start off by booking a driving test at the driver licensing office. On this visit one must take with him or her some proof of identity, payment of the application and a social security number in order to be allowed to complete the driver license application form. He or she must demonstrate that he or she has passed a driver’s knowledge test, had his or her vision screened and can ably recognize colors. Yes, you must be able to recognize the red, green and yellow traffic lights, otherwise how would you know when to stop?
Also see: Driving > Learning to Drive and Obtaining your License
The phone continued to ring as I waited for the auto insurance company to pick up. Standing in our kitchen I was able to see out our window and into the driveway, where our brand new car sat glistening in the sun. It was a base model four door and, although brand new to my girlfriend and I, was actually a used car we had just bought.
At the moment I was about to begin negotiating for better rates. As part of a well known professional institute I realized that I could be eligible for lower car insurance premiums. I had started calling different providers to see if I could get a better deal and since the car was a used sedan, as opposed to a newer, sportier coupe I had already gotten some extremely low prices on quotes.
There are many factors that can affect the quote you get from a car insurance agency. Among these, one of the most heavily weighted is the number of demerit points you have on your license. Although some people will complain about this, it actually makes the roads a whole lot safer. For the large majority of drivers, a fine or a ticket is usually a big enough of a deterrent to drive as safe as possible, respecting road signs and speed limits and so on. But, if the offender is relatively wealthy, a fine becomes a short-lived slap on the wrist and loses its ability to influence their behavior behind the wheel. This is why the demerit points system is one of the most effective mechanisms in use today when it comes to reducing unsafe driving practices.
Linked with a specific region’s licensing framework, it leverages the threat of higher insurance premiums to influence the behavior of drivers. In graduated licensing frameworks it can slow, or completely stall a driver’s progress towards their next level. Additionally, the presence of demerit points on one’s driving record may make police more inclined to dole out higher fines should a driver be pulled over for, say, speeding or perhaps failing to come to a complete stop at an intersection.
Not all regions use the demerit points system although if a driver is convicted of an offence outside of the region where they are licensed they may still have demerit points put on their record. For example, if an Ontario driver is caught leaving the scene of an accident in Quebec, they will still be penalized as though the offence took place in Ontario. In some regions the points are added to your record, and in others they are subtracted from an original total. If you collect, or lose enough points you may have your license suspended.
The number of demerit points given for a particular offence as well as the length of time they will remain on a driver’s license is dependent on the region (state, province, or territory) in which the driver in question, the offender, has been licensed.
It is important that drivers familiarize themselves with this system as it provides a solid set of guidelines for safe driving and has been designed to keep the broader population safer as well.
- The Thin White Line – Improving Car Safety One Piece of Paper at a Time
- How to Get a Vehicle History Report
- Emissions Testing – It’s the Law
- Emissions Test – The Basics
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Demerit Points – An Effective Deterrent
For every teenager, becoming a driver is a necessity. Learning to drive is an adventure worth embarking on. For them, it is a rite of passage and therefore it has to be done once one reaches the required legal age for it. For some teenagers, the age restriction on driving is an unwise law and should not be obeyed at all. Many of believe that as far as you are tall or big enough to handle a vehicle steering, then nothing should stop you from driving. This explains why some teenagers will not even wait for them to reach the required age stipulated by law before they hit the roads with their parents’ car. One should not blame them for thinking like that. Their thinking is a clear indication that they are ignorant of what driving is all about.
There is need for every adult to join hands together in letting the teenagers to know that driving is not all about handling the steering. There is also need for psychological development or maturity before one can handle the steering perfectly well.
Statistics have shown that one of the major causes of death among the teens is motor accidents. According to statistics about 3,000 US teenagers within the ages of 15 to 19 lost their lives through auto crashes in 2009 while over 350,000 teenagers in the US were hospitalized as a result of injuries sustained in motor accidents in 2008. The death of these teenagers is a great loss to their families and also to the society at large. Besides, their deaths also constitutes some economic and productivity losses. About $14 billion was spent on medical care in cases related to teenage auto crashes.
The above ugly incidence can be reduced or even eradicated if teenagers are well educated about what being a perfect driver entails before they hit the road with their parents’ cars or even their own car for those who have cars. Parents and guardians have important roles to play in this regard
The Role of the Parents or Guardians
It is unfortunate that driving courses are no longer provided by most of the public schools in the US. This is the more reason why parents should be active in telling their teenagers the dangers involved in driving before one gets to the required age. Surprisingly, some parents allow their teenagers to drive even before the reach the stipulated age by their states. This is not the best attitude. On no account should a parent allow a teenager to drive if the person has not reached the required age.
As it has been said before, driving is not only about height or physical stature. There is also the psychological aspect of driving. A person may seem to be physically mature to handle a vehicle but not psychologically mature for it. There are some road conditions that can put fear in a teenager because of psychological immaturity. Such situation can make him or she to make a costly mistake that can lead to serious accidents which can cause the person’s untimely death.
Also see: Defensive Driving > Attending Defensive Driving Schools