# When do most people in your country start driving?



## tvdxer (Feb 28, 2006)

What's the average age for somebody in your country to start driving (assuming they drive)? This is not necessarily the same as the legal driving age.

In the U.S., most states allow you to drive at 16, and at my high school, most kids were driving to school by the time they were 17. I started driving the summer between my junior and senior (final) year of high school, at about 17.75 years, and was one of the very last to start driving to school.

It seems like a 16- or 17-year old driving to school in Europe would be very rare, but it seems common in much of the U.S.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

You can get your driver's license no earlier than at the age of 18 in Europe. However, car prices are artificially kept high, so it's not really affordable for most students to have a car. I had my first car when I was 18 though. 

A lot of people get their driver's license at the age of 18 or 19, but they usually do not buy a car for a couple of years.


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

ChrisZwolle said:


> You can get your driver's license no earlier than at the age of 18 in Europe.


That is incorrect. You can get your licence here at the age of 17(for cars),but you cant leave the country with it.It becomes international only at 18.


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## xlchris (Jun 23, 2006)

Most kids in the Netherlands take a scooter when they're 16, your allowed to if you want.
Because they have to wait 2 more years (18) before they can buy or even own a car.
That's why they want to make new rules in the Netherlands. 
This new rules include that kids can buy or own a car when they become 17. 
I don't know what the current status is of those rules, but I believe that this will become a new rule in 2010 or 2011. 

Does anybody know more about that? Getting a car when your 17 in the Netherlands?
I also think those new rules included that you should drive with someone who has it's drivers license for over ?? years.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

ChrisZwolle said:


> You can get your driver's license no earlier than at the age of 18 in Europe.


17 in the UK, I first drove a car around a field owned by my grandfather when I was 16, had my first drive on the road on my 17th birthday and passed my test 3 months later.

I didn't have a car of my own but my parents insured me for their second car.

17-18 year-old students driving to school was very rare, almost unheard of, most kids walked even if they could drive as there was no parking for them. Once I got to university I knew a couple of students with cars but 90%+ didn't have one and just walked/cycled or took buses, taxis and trains. These days I think it's more common though from what I hear, I left university over ten years ago.


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## Stifler (Apr 11, 2006)

I would say 50% of the people in Spain get the driving licence at the age of 18. It's not allowed before and you have the largest summer holidays then (school classes finish in early June and university doesn't start until October). My driving school was full of people of the same age when I got it.

The most common strategy was to pass the theory exam (I think now you have to get 27 correct answers out of 30 questions) before the examiners go on holidays (it was the whole August). This way you had driving lessons during August (I used to pay €21 for 45 min. but now I have heard they are close to €30) and you go to the driving exam in early September.

This strategy wasn't fine for me since I was born in September, so I was a couple of months delayed. 

People who go to driving school later tend to spend far more time to get the licence, since they start working/studying.

In my high school nobody went to classes driving but in my university half of the students used to drive (campus is located in the outskirts and not very well connected). Now in Madrid, almost nobody drive to the campus since it's well connected by public transport.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

^^ When I passed my test there was no theory exam :banana: It was introduced a couple of years later.

In the UK you can learn to drive with anybody who has had a driving licence for a few years, five I think, you don't have to pay for lessons if you don't want. I used to have one paid lesson every two weeks but went out driving with my mother or father several times in between. I heard that in some countries you can't do this, it must be very expensive to pass a test if that's the case.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

In New Zealand? They have a "graduated driving licence test" which has multiple stages.

*Stage 1:* Learners obtained at age 15. Most of the population does this bang on 15 and all you need to take is a simple multi-choice test of 20 questions and get 17 right. 

With a learners licence you can drive with passengers as long as someone in the front seat has a full licence for over 2 years. You must display a yellow L plate with a black L written on it in the top left of your front windscreen and top right of your rear windscreen. You are on your learners licence for 6 months.

*Stage 2:* Restricted licence. Once you have been on your learners licence for 6 months you are allowed to take a proper driving test. There is no requirement of minimum driving experience or number of lessons taken. You can take the test in an automatic or manual car. 

The restricted licence means you can drive alone between the hours of 6:00 and 22:00 and with passengers at any time if someone in the front seat has held a full licence for over 2 years.

You are on the restricted licence for 18 months, however, this time can be reduced to 12 months if you sit a "defensive driving course" which involves attending one lesson with the Automobile Association.

*Stage 3:* Full licence. After 18 (or 12) months you can sit another test for your full licence. This test requires more from the driver than the restricted (but is still dead easy).

With a full licence, it doesn't matter if you take the test in an automatic or a manual car as a full licence allows you to drive either kind even if you didn't take your test in a manual unlike most countries. 

A full licence has no restrictions on it.


So you see, lots of people can have their full driving licence at the age of 16.5 here, and many do! Far too young, far to reckless and far too much freedom too soon. No wonder the crash rate in young males is so high...


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## Stifler (Apr 11, 2006)

Jonesy55 said:


> In the UK you can learn to drive with anybody who has had a driving licence for a few years, five I think, you don't have to pay for lessons if you don't want.


Even in motorways or what kind of roads are allowed? I had heard of this but I don't know hoy it exactly works. They wanted to introduce something similar here but it's forbidden so far. Anyway everybody go to practice with his father to some rural roads, but it's not the same.



Jonesy55 said:


> I heard that in some countries you can't do this, it must be very expensive to pass a test if that's the case.


It was around €100 of exam fares plus 30€ per driving class (most of the people take around 10-20 classes). So €400-€600 in total. It's usually the present given by parents for finishing the secundary studies.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

^^ Not on motorways, in fact you can't even go on motorways with a professional instructor. But you can drive on any other road with a parent or other qualified person, I used to drive around town and practice reverse parking, turning etc on suburban streets.

I've always thought that it's a flaw in the system, you can't go on motorways at all until you've passed your test but after that you are free to use them on your own with no experience, you just have to teach yourself.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Stifler said:


> It was around €100 of exam fares plus 30€ per driving class (most of the people take around 10-20 classes). So €400-€600 in total. It's usually the present given by parents for finishing the secundary studies.


That's not too bad, I heard about some countries where it might cost more like €1500, The Netherlands maybe. :dunno:


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

^^ Yeah, that's about the amount of money I spend on my driver's license. And I didn't fail one time and I was quicker than average. I got 24 lessons, while the average is 40.

Exam fare was about € 180 3 years ago. € 35 - 40 per lesson, additional costs are theory exam, and not least, getting the actual license at the municipality (€ 50 in Zwolle, NL)


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## Stifler (Apr 11, 2006)

Jonesy55 said:


> I've always thought that it's a flaw in the system, you can't go on motorways at all until you've passed your test but after that you are free to use them on your own with no experience, you just have to teach yourself.


Indeed. I remember the first time I drive through a motorway with the instructor. It was like if I was driving a F1...  People should experience that in practice lessons.



Jonesy55 said:


> That's not too bad, I heard about some countries where it might cost more like €1500, The Netherlands maybe


Well, that's price if you pass everthing at the first time. If you fail (something usual in the driving exam, not that much in the theory one) you have to pay the taxes again, pay mandatory driving lessons... I know some people who had +40 classes and spent around €2,000.



ChrisZwolle said:


> Yeah, that's about the amount of money I spend on my driver's license. And I didn't fail one time and I was quicker than average. I got 24 lessons, while the average is 40.
> 
> Exam fare was about € 180 3 years ago. € 35 - 40 per lesson, additional costs are theory exam, and not least, getting the actual license at the municipality (€ 50 in Zwolle, NL)


Damn. Collapsed motorways, ecologists and NIMBYs everywhere, the most expensive petrol in the EU and now the most expensive licence. How are there still so many motorway-freaks in the Netherlands?


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## Rave92 (Oct 1, 2008)

The interesting fact in my country is that even though legal age is with 18 years, a lot of people learn before 18 to drive, and just get licence with 18. Of course they don't drive until 18, or some do but just get in risk to be stopped by police.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

In my state of the US, the government restricts driving for kids under 18 (no driving between 11pm and 5am unless for working, can't have more than one other teen in car without adult over 20, and you have to do some expensive drivers education, among others), so it really isn't very advantageous for them to drive. A lot of the laws were created when a bunch of deadly teen accidents happened statewide.

When I was younger, I didn't know much kids who had their licenses at 16, let alone their own car. Personally, I got a license at 18 when all the restrictions are lifted, and you can just easily get it. With the much higher insurance rates and restrictions, it really isn't worth it to get it early anyway, IMO.


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## brightside. (Jan 10, 2008)

Males: between 16-18

Females: between 20-22


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Stifler said:


> Indeed. I remember the first time I drive through a motorway with the instructor. It was like if I was driving a F1...  People should experience that in practice lessons.


Move here. 1 hour of motorway,1 hour of night and 1 hour of county road driving is obligatory. I had all at once...it was freightening,driving on a 3-lane road,everyone going past with high speeds,at night...besides,I only had time after school,and my practice lessons were in winter...I had this in a bit of snowy weather.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

In Denmark the minimums age is 18, but you can start taking your licence at 17, so most start at 17-18 years of age..


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

15 in alberta to get your learners for a year than 16

BC is and the rest of Canada is 16 but varies from province to province as far as what you get

In BC you get your learners "L" and there are restrictions - than after that period you get your "N" and there are fewer restrictions than I think that lasts 2 years and you can get your normal license which lasts 5 years and than must be renewed - usually you just go and get a new photo - as you get older they make make you do a road test


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## DELCROID (Apr 9, 2006)

In Venezuela it depends on the type of licence one needs:

For :


1º Licenses (non-motor vehicles): *14 (bicycles) - 16 years old (animal traction vehicles).*

2º Licenses (motorcycles): *16 (up to 80 cc motors) - 18 years old (any cc motor).*

3º Licenses (cars, small trucks & buses - 9 passangers/2.5 Ton): *16 (with some restrictions) - 18 years old.*

4º Licenses (trucks, buses - 12 passangers/6 Ton): *21 years old*.

5º Licenses (trucks, buses - >12 passangers/9 Ton): *25 years old.*

6º Licenses/also called "Professional Licenses" (any kind of vehicles - dangerous loads, any tonnage, any size, etc): *30 years old.*

(Land Transport Law - Chapter III - in Spanish): http://ve.vlex.com/vid/41410064 )









































































.


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## tayser (Sep 11, 2002)

Australia differs on the state you're in...

Victoria: Learner's license at 16, Probationary license at 18 (which you have for 3 years), fully licensed by the age of 21.

Learner's license require a fully licensed driver to be in the front passenger seat at all times, Probationary licenses are when you can start driving by yourself - the only difference between it and a full license is with Ps you can't have any alcohol in your blood and you can drive some cars which have a high power to weight ratio (V8s basically).

from memory:
South Australia is 16 for Ls, and 16 and a half for Ps
New South Wales is 16 for Ls, and 17 for Ps


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## SilentStrike (Aug 15, 2008)

at 18 or 19, but they still use their parents' car till they're like 22, in case any expensive accidents happen


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## Rave92 (Oct 1, 2008)

FREKI said:


> In Denmark the minimums age is 18, but you can start taking your licence at 17, so most start at 17-18 years of age..


Yeah same here.


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

In Sweden the age limit is 18, so the norm used to be to get it at 18. But in the bigger cities the average age is way higher now, most the people I know (20s and 30s) still don't have a license. Getting one is expensive (like in NL) and if you live in Stockholm you don't need one anyway (transit is pretty good).


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## davsot (Dec 27, 2008)

In Puerto Rico, Learner's at age of 16. Fully licensed 6 months later. Used to be one month.


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

--


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## Mr_Dru (Dec 15, 2008)

In the Netherlands, from the age of 16, most people drive a scooter. And when they become 18 most of them start taking drivinglesson. 

After they past the exams, not much student from the age of 18 needs a car, because students don't have to pay for using every kind of public transportations.


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## deranged (Jan 22, 2009)

Queensland, Australia

The minimum driving age for learners is 16. "Most people" start at the age of 16.

Licensing system:

A 30-question multi-choice test requiring 90% to pass
*Learners *licence for 1 year
A practical driving test
*Provisional *licence with greater restrictions (P1) for 1 year
A hazard perception test
*Provisional *licence with fewer restrictions (P2) for 2 years
*Open *licence

The provisional stage is compressed for people aged over 25.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

Swede said:


> In Sweden the age limit is 28, so the norm used to be to get it at 18.


Does not compute! :?


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## cymnet (Jan 25, 2009)

driving and passing the border at the age of 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yKvA1s3oMw


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## Kelsen (Jul 29, 2006)

Brazil: Eighteen for temporary license. 19 for the full license for cars.


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## Swede (Aug 24, 2002)

FREKI said:


> Does not compute! :?


It does now


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)




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## Majestic (Jan 22, 2007)

*Poland - 18* is the minimum age to get a driving license. However, you can attend a driving school before your 18th birthday


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## GregfromAustria (Aug 16, 2008)

In Austria you can start with 16, you have to drive about 3000 km in attendance of somebody of your family, when you get 17 you can make the exam and then you can drive - alone!


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## gustavowoltmann (Mar 23, 2016)

Here in our country usually when they are 18.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

16/17 depending on the state...


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## makeindia (May 26, 2016)

I think it is approximately 18 year, I start driving at the age of 22.


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## KavirajG (Apr 5, 2011)

Mauritius - 16 for a 'learner' license, 18 for the full one. Because it's a small island with high traffic density, they make it real hard to get one.

Scooter and motorcycle (50cc and below) - 16


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## curious_33 (Dec 18, 2015)

Typically 16 or 17 in the state but we live in a mainly farming area so there are often kids that know how to drive well by the time they can reach the pedals. They drive around the farm roads by the time they are 12 or 13 which does make it easier for them to fully do well with the rules of the road when they get their permit and then their license


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