NationStates Jolt Archive

You see, we have this retarded system in Ontario where we have to go through different levels before we are considered fully capable of driving and receive the benefits of lower insurance rates and the like.

But I don't have to bitch about the graudated license system anymore because I passed my G2 exit test and am now a fully licensed driver!


W00t!

I don't know, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me. There are a lot of morons on the road.

Edit: Also, congratulations.

It wouldn't be so bad if they only charged you once for the whole process, but they charge you twice, once for the initial lisence (G1) and once for getting the full lisence (G) and the first one is $100 and the second fee is $75, so it's not cheap at all.

Plus it doesn't get rid of the morons who are already on the road, it just prevents new morons from coming along... although really, after a year or two everyone picks up the terrible driving habits that would fail them on such tests anyways. It just penalizes those of us born after a certain date.

If they want to catch all the idiots, they should start forcing people to retake the tests after major tickets... like if one is speeding a lot in a school zone or running red lights or something.

i see the appeal in a system like this, but i dont think it ends up having any real pracitical effect on the drivers out there. (or soon to be out there)

people know they are going to take a test, they study for it. they know when they are taking it, and are careful to observe all the rules and drive carefully (usually....)

however, once they are alone/away from authority/etc on the road, they resort to unsafe but easy, or 'traffic-effective' habits and such.

not sure what a possible solution would be, but i see it as a definite problem. i either ride a motorcycle or walk, and where im living isnt a very pedestrian friendly area, and i come close to getting hit about once a week (yeah, i guess it could be argued that im dumb for not switching to some tank of an suv to guarantee my survival in such an instance...) just dumb stuff, like people playing with their cell phones (assumption, i have no idea what they were doing, but they certainly werent paying attention) and veering into oncoming traffic(yesterday) or not stopping before making a right turn on red at an intersection(happens to me when im crossing at a crosswalk fairly regularly) etc., etc.

dunno, but i think such things are more dangerous and less enforced then simple speeding (not that that isnt dangerous...) but i imagine thats something to do with the effort to observe/cite and the revenue gained from such infractions...

gah, mebbe it will be a good thing if we up and run out of oil in a couple years....

Part of the problem is that they give licenses to just about anyone. There are some people who just don't have the physical co-ordination or reflexes to drive, yet the testing standards are so miserably low they get licensed anyway, then the rest of us have to avoid accidents for them.

That and you should have to maintain a minimum number of hours behind the wheel every year to keep the license - like pilots or commercial boat captains.

Tickets and such are really about raising revenue, not safety.

A system like that is going to be implemented in a few months where I am.

Well, the whole process does have car accidents among youth down...

I just don't think it should be so damn expensive. I'm a university student, I can hardly make tuition, let alone have to pay for this crap.

Maryland has a similar licensing programme to that, although the costs are significantly cheaper (at least in terms of what you pay the Motor Vehicle Administration). The learner's permit costs you $50 US and you have to wait four months to take your driving test after you get the permit, you must drive with at least one licensed driver over 21, and you must go through driver's education no matter how old you are if you're a first time driver.

Once you finally pass that driver's license test, you have restrictions if you're under 18: You can't drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless it's from school or work or a recognised activity (such as community service or a school event). If you're over 18, that doesn't apply, but if you're under 21, you can't drink at ALL. Obviously, since I'm well over 21, none of those restrictions apply, but I have to wait 18 months and have no violations to get my full on license. If I have one moving violation, I have to wait another 18 months.

The difference is that upon getting your provisional license (which is what they call those nowadays), you have to pay $5 to cover the conversion to a full license. When you've made it past the 18 month waiting period, you get sent something in the mail that accompanies your license that tells people you now have a full driver's license and you don't have to go back until it's time to renew your license (after five years).

Our system is a touch different. When you get your G1 (16 is the earliest you can do so) you're only allowed to drive with someone who has had their full lisence for 5 years and you need to have your G1 for a year or 8 months if you take driving school. You can't drive at night or on the 400 series highways unless you're with a certified driving instructor.
When you get your G2, you're basically the same as a fully lisenced driver except that you can only drive in the province and you have to have 0 blood alcohol. Oh, and all your passengars must have their seatbelts on.
When you get your G, you are fully lisenced, can drive outside the province and you can have 0.08 blood alcohol. And your passengars over 16 are responsable for their own use of seatbelts.

Interestingly, it's easier to get a marriage license, and you don't need a license to reproduce. Funny, that.

Here as soon as you're 15 you can go in, pay a fee, do a written test and get your learners. Most of the written test is common sense. After that, you can only drive if there is a person who has had their full license for more than 2 years in the front seat, but no other restrictions apply.

After 6 months you are eligable to pay a registration fee and a test fee before embarking on a practical test. Pass that and you get your restricted license which is the same as your learners except you can drive by yourself between the hours of 5am and 10pm. Its an NZ$400 fine for breaking a license restriction, and this fine being dished out for 'passengers on a restricted license' is extremely common. I don't think I know one person who hasn't at one time violated their restricted license rules, although some of us never got caught.

After 18 months of this (or 12 if you do a defensive driving course, a 4 session seminar type thing at the cost of NZ$120 dollars) you can sit your full license practical test which is much more complex than the restricted test and revolves around the identification and rememberance of 'hazards'. Pass that and you can drive when you like with whoever you like in the car.

Drink driving laws only differ by whether or not your over or under 20. It's something like .3 ml per litre of breath for under 20s or .7 for over 20s.

The whole process works out to be pretty damn expensive but most people are still at home when they go for it and milk it out of their parents :)

if you fail a practical test, you have to pay the test fee again, but not the registration fee. Assuming you don't fail any tests, getting to your full costs maybe $300, not including the defensive driving course which most young peopel end up doing.