New Drivers + Insurance costs. Plus annoying Driving laws. What's your country like?

Canadaland:

Get your theory at 16 to get your G1. Go through driver's ed (wait 8 months) or wait for one year to get your G2 (practical). Wait another year to get your G (full license, practical test as well). Each level has restrictions associated with it.

Plates, pretty much anything goes except the not so lovely words but it has been known that custom plates that had something interesting, got through. The customized plates are expensive though (well I find them expensive).

Insurance? Lets not go there but if you are a young driver get ready to be raped. Full coverage would be easily $3000+. I lucked out and only paid $88 just for liability insurance on a base 2 door FWD coupe.

Modifications? Go crazy but get ready to pay some astronomical insurance rates since the insurance companies will rape you on that or refuse to give you insurance. But you also have to comply with emission testing here.

Ah, but Ontario is not the whole of Canada, let me tell you about the magical land of Saskatchewan.

At 15, you get a learner's license for passing the written test. You can only drive with immediate family for the most part, and must have an experienced driver in the passenger seat.

At 16, you take the practical test, and if passed you're Novice 1 for six months. In that time period, only one passenger who isn't immediate family is allowed, plus a bunch of other arbitrary restrictions.

After the 6 months, you're Novice 2 for 12 months. Fewer arbitrary restrictions, can't be a commercial driver, can't supervise, if you are at fault in an accident or caught driving like a dick you might have to relearn how to drive properly and the Novice 2 period is extended.

One curious thing is it says passengers are limited by seatbelts for both novice cases, suggesting that once you get a full class five you can pack your car like a sardine can.

For insurance, plates through SGI (the only source) come with some basic insurance, starts at $500-ish annually for something older, little over $1000 for something new. I think there is also some antique plates that run really cheap, though the car has to be driven very little. You can also get some extra insurance that runs an extra $200 or so annually. Plates go down if you aren't at fault in a crash or get caught driving like a dick, up to 15% off as I recall.

Plates are only required on the back, which is nice, because they used to be required on the front and made cars look terrible. All Sask. plates are green, and there are few novelty ones but you can pay $50 to say you like the local football team. I won't though, because I'm inexplicably fond of my plate number.

I don't know about mods, but I don't think SGI cares overall.
 
getting a lenience is easy if u drive well in the test age, or car doesn't matter provided ur over 18 and you have car that passes the police check test


in kuwait you have 2 insurance choices whether ur 18 or 9999999

a idoit who has had 100000000 crashes in his life or a normal person with only a few

1- the regular 0.5% of how much the car is worth (yearly)

2- sliver, gold ,diamond, platinum insurance 2-7% of cars price (yearly) features depend on how good is the company and so on , the best you can get is a 90 % discount on ur bill if u have a crash and u were guilty .

thats the good part

the bad parts

no window tinting
police give u tickets for no reason
ur car might get confiscated if u have a loud aftermarket system exhaust
no drag race or racing circuit ( most people do their racing in the lonely desert roads though )
car crushed if found street racing
no stickers allowed
no NoS
no paint jobs without permisson ( from police )
some policeman say that something is allowed ( like tinting ) then when u get to a checkpoint or so they take ur car away :(
 
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This is the perfect thread for me, I just got my car barely a month ago.

The fun thing about the United States is that it's a little different in each state.

In Rhode Island:
Take driver's education course (with absolutely no practical aspect) starting at age 15+10 months. Next, spend about a year on a learners permit, driving only with supervision.

Age 16, provided you've spent a year on said learner's permit, you can get a driver's license, which costs $10.50 and about 3 hours of your time. The test for obtaining a license only takes about 30 minutes. The rest of the time, you spend at the DMV, waiting in a queue.

Driving tests vary by who's giving the test. Things you might encounter on a driving test include parallel parking, parking on a hill, driving backwards along a kerb for a certain distance, and so on. For me, there was none of this, just driving around in traffic for a bit. (In Rhode Island, driving tests are given in our second-largest city, one with lots of stupid old roads with stupid intersections.)

Cheap cars are numerous, I paid $2,000 for mine. My insurance (me being a 16-year-old male) costs about $1,000 a year for a rather bare-bones insurance plan, which is really quite reasonabl. I don't remember how much it covers for other injuries, I know it's a rather large number. In terms of what the insurance company pays me...well, it really only covers about $500 of damage to my own car. Which is a real pisser, as I'd be unlikely to afford a replacement.

Registering a car, the only charge involved is sales tax, which for me was $140 (we have 7% sales tax in Rhode Island) plus a $1.50 technology surcharge (even though our technology is horribly outdated). This covers registration plus 2 new license plates, with a random set of 6 numbers on them. (Actually, it's not random, they're issued in sequence.)

If you want custom license plates with whatever you want on it, that costs $67 for a set of two. Many states have a variety of custom backgrounds and designs for their plates which support various sports teams or causes. Rhode Island doesn't.

Many states also don't require a front license plate. I'll be moving to Florida soon, which doesn't, and I'm planning to get some sort of European-style plate to decorate the front of my car, because it looks kinda ugly with an empty license plate bracket.
 
My favorite story about driving in the US is from when I first moved to here, just under 5 years ago.
I needed a car, so I went car shopping. Whenever I asked to test drive a car I was told I need to have insurance, but to buy insurance I had to have a car. There was no way out of this infinite loop other than sweet talking and name dropping, which worked most of the time.
 
Well, here in Sweden you can start to learn driving at 16 either at a driving school or with a adult over 24 having had a licence for five years, the latter after having taking a four hour theoretical lesson together with your tutor at a driving school, costing roughly ?40. You are then allowed to drive every legal car (no trailers allowed until 17 and a half though) at any time of the day at any road, with no limit on passengers, as long as your tutor is sitting in the passenger seat.

Before you can pass the tests to get your full license you have to take two more lessons at a driving school, one being theoretical concerning drugs, alcohol and tiredness and the other one being a session on a skid pan. When you are 18 you can get your full license, after having done these two lessons, by passing a theoretical test of 65 questions (52 correct answers being the pass limit) and a practical test stretching over roughly 45 minutes, containing a few difference manoeuvres, i.e. parallel parking, motorway driving, reversing around a street corner and so on.

Having passed all the tests and having gotten your full license, you can drive any car that you want at any time and so on. The only difference between you and someone who has had their license for more than two years is that if you do an offence that lead to you loosing your license, it is not temporarily suspended but annulled, so you have to do the whole procedure all over again.

Insurance is not all too bad here really. I attended an one hour long course for new drivers at an insurance company about alcohol and drugs, leading to that in their system it looks like if I'd had my license for five years with no accidents, which is pleasant. I've only had two cars so far, but the Porsche 944 that I had I paid ?500 a year for third party plus fire and theft. I pay ?550 a year for my Clio Sport for third party plus fire and theft. Had I not attended that course I would have ended up paying ?800 a year for both cars. For a fully comped BMW M3 E36 having no claims bonus or driving experience you would have to pay ?3600 a year. I must mention that I live in Sweden's fifth largest city, parking my car on the street and so on. I'm moving to Stockholm in a couple of months and then my insurance will almost double.

Stupid rules? Not so many that I can think of. Except for the EU's pedestrian crossing rule that has been around for a few years. One boring thing is all of the speed cameras that are cropping up. Every single A-road are infested with them these days. Most of them aren't even activated (but fully functional), but still. So far the sun visor routine still works (they actually need to know who was driving your car, and you are not obliged to tell), but that will be put to an end as well.

And oh, roads that shifts between having two lanes and one lane in every direction back and fourth where it was too expensive to build motorways but they still wanted to separate traffic is opposite directions. It often just turns in to racing when you see the "merging in to one lane"-sign when you could get stuck behind a tractor or a horse box.
 
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Well it has been 0.5? for a while, but in Limburg people normally don't care nor comply anyway ;)

I was (rubbishly) joking about it being 8 ? when you'd be dead.
 
Well it has been 0.5? for a while, but in Limburg people normally don't care nor comply anyway ;)

We can't help it that you people on the other side of the rivers can't handle your drinks ;)
 
And oh, roads that shifts between having two lanes and one lane in every direction back and fourth where it was too expensive to build motorways but they still wanted to separate traffic is opposite directions. It often just turns in to racing when you see the "merging in to one lane"-sign when you could get stuck behind a tractor or a horse box.
Better to have those than the roads we had, unless it's an E-road there's simply no justification to make a motorway out of it, too little volume and motorways cost enormous amounts of money. The northernmost part of the E6 is slowly being converted into a motorway and the cost for ~6km of motorway there is 217 million. Granted it's more difficult terrain than building in say the flatlands of V?sterg?tland but still the costs relative to widening an existing road is not justified for the majority of our roads.

Two things we really need that will soak up enormous amounts of money is to practically re-route all traffic around Gothenburg and Stockholm (both cities lack ring roads, all traffic passes right through the city centers), the latter project commencing first (surprise, improvements begin where politicians live) in 2012 at a projected cost of 28 billion. Gothenburg will probably cost more than that. Gothenburg traffic planning is really messed up. To understand how much that is we can compare it to the Hallands?stunneln which is in it's 18th year of construction at a projected total cost of 10 billion, 11 times more than planned.

I dislike the 30-40-50-60-70-80-90-100-110-120 limits more than 2+1 roads. Too many limits. 30-50-70-90-110 was perfectly adequate, and then they could have added 130 for the good motorway sections.
 
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Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Here in MA, USA getting licensed is a good deal. At 16 you get a permit, then after only 6 months you are eligible for a driver test(must do about 20 hours with a qualified instructor). The driver certification test is about 10-15 minutes. Yes. It's that easy.

You must have front and rear plates. However, if you have really old pates (issued early 1990's or b4) then you only need a rear plate. They can tell because the old plates are in green font.

Insurance sucks. I don't even want to ask my parents what they're paying for me. Between a nice(used car 6-8k mayb) car and insurance it would probably eat up 75% of my income (I'm 18 going to college, I don't make *that* much). It's also mandatory, no insurance = no driving. However they will just slap you on the wrist if you don't have it. Seriously, our state government is working on giving licenses to undocumented immigrants too! :blink:

In other states insurance is not mandatory.

I also like where I live. Around here you can speed by 15 mph, have illegal window tint, etc. No one cares. You get to know what towns have tough cops, and what towns don't care. :lol:
 
Well I just re-did some insurance quotes, its gone up a but since I passed my test.

Now about ?2000 a year for anything with a sub 1.2 litre engine, anything above that I've not even bothered looking. Lowest quote I've had on a modern car is ?1800 for a Corsa. :thumbsdown:

I also thought I'd bless you with some random UK driving trivia thats related to the topic:

You can drive anything you want, at any age, as long as its on private land.
As a learner you can not go on motorways, period.
There is no need to drive at all before you take your test, as long as you pass your theory and pracitcal there is no requirment for you to have ever driven a car before!
Now I've passed my test I can tow a "light" trailer. :lol:
For the next two years I have a max of 6 points on my license before I'm disqualified (normaly its 12).
the photo on your driving license always makes you look like a serial killer.
Insurance on average is between ?500-?800 cheaper for a 17 year old girl starting to drive than a guy.
At age 16 you can take the CBT (compulsary basic training) and ride 50cc mopeds, at 17 if you take the same test you can ride a 125cc motorbike.
 
That's pretty much the case in Ontario. Insurance sure can be a real bitch for young drivers. If you're a Not a Dude, then you'll pay less, but yes, $3000/year for insurance is not uncommon. But if you have taken lessons from a Ministry approved driving school, then you will receive a discount on your insurance (20%, I think?), as they will consider having done so an addition one year driving experience.

When you turn 16, you can go for your G1 License. Go to the MTO Office and pass a simple written test. (I don't remember how much it costs anymore). If you take a driving course, you can go for your G2 in 8 months, otherwise, you'll have to wait 12 months if you do not.

On a G1 license, you cannot drive alone and must be accompanied by someone who has a G license for 4 years or more. Your blood alcohol level must be 0 and you cannot drive from 12AM to 5AM. You also cannot drive on any of the major highways either (400, 401, 404, etc). For G1 and G2, you can take as many passengers with you as your car can legally seat.

The G2 road test is about 20 minutes long and costs $40. You'll drive in the area of the MTO Drive Test Centre; straight a bit, left a bit, right a bit, do a parallel park and a three-point turn then drive back to the Drive Test Centre.

On your G2, your blood alcohol must be 0, but you can drive alone and on the highways. After 12 months, you can go for your full G license. The exam is pretty much the same as the G2 test, but this time you'll be going on the highway. If you pass that, then you get your full G license.

In Ontario, you can buy personalized plates for about $250. It can be anything up to 8 characters long, obviously just not anything obscene. Otherwise, you'll get the regular ABCD 123 plates. You'll have to renew your plates every one or two years, depending on what kind of sticker you buy and you'll have to pay off any tickets you received also to renew your license. You'll have to renew your license every five years.

Oh wow...you remember quite a lot of the details...whereas I totally forgot a few of the restrictions. Or perhaps the provincial government wanting to change the G1 and G2 rules confused me. Ontario auto insurance is indeed truly terrible for new drivers not under a parent's policy, its not unheard of where insurance is more expensive than the car...which is the case with my sister's 2001 Civic.
 
I also like where I live. Around here you can speed by 15 mph, have illegal window tint, etc. No one cares. You get to know what towns have tough cops, and what towns don't care. :lol:

I'd be curious as to where you live. My dad works right on the Mass. border with RI, and he does a lot of driving in Attelboro. He once got a ticket in a gas station there for having a license plate frame that partially covered the registration sticker on his plate.

On the other hand of that, there are bits of Rhode Island where there's Never. A. Copper. Nice long straight road, too.
 
Oh no, who will take the burden to write the Finnish version to get a driving license?
 
Oh no, who will take the burden to write the Finnish version to get a driving license?

That would be too much text. :D

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Ok, short version:

-must be 17.5 years before starting to learn
-you can go to driving school or your family member can get a teaching permit
-20h theory
-15h driving (30 times)
-skidpan once and driving at night once
-theory and driving test (~45 mins each)

After 0.5-2 years you have to attend few theory classes and do driving with instructor (tough he/she can't take your licence away), attend skidpan again and do night driving if you couldn't do it first time (if you had your licence at summer)
 
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And the basic insurance is the same regarless of insurance company
 
I live in Walpole, MA... Walpole and bordering town Westwood are really funny. There *are* traffic cops. They just don't pull you over unless you're like 20 over. When I'm in an unfamiliar town I slow down a little. I very rarely drive through Attleborough, even though it's only about 15 minutes away.

Then there's Dedham (borders westwood). They always have cops in the exact same places, and will pull you over for anything over 7mph or so above the limit.

*edit*: It sucks how guys get ripped off on car insurance. I know it levels out later on around 25years old. I'm a WAY safer driver than my sister. I mean sure, she doesn't even do the speed limit half the time, but she's just oblivious to EVERYTHING. She tried to merge straight into another car on the highway once. And she didn't stop at a 4 way stop sign, and totaled someone else's car. (and almost got sued for injuries!). And yes, I know it's a limited sample pool, but when you make insurance mandatory and then discriminate...well dam that sucks. :mad:
...now that I've said this I will hit a fully loaded gravel truck today. Was nice knowin' yall :p
 
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Arizona has got to be one of the easiest places to get a license in, in the entire world.

You can get a learner's permit at 15 years, 7 months. Someone with a full license and at least 21 years of age must be in the passenger's seat while you drive, that's the only restriction. Also, the only thing you have to do for this permit is pass a written test.

After 5 months of having a permit you can take a road test for a license, which from most reports is piss easy. If you're under 18, which you more than likely will be, you will get a class G license. There are some kind of restrictions on it but I'm not exactly sure what they are.

If you're 18 or older you can just skip straight to the road test without having to have a permit for 5 months first. When you pass this test, you will get a class D license (non-commercial). Also, if you already have a class G license you can "upgrade" your license to a class D once you turn 18 with no further testing required.

As far as insurance goes, like someone mentioned earlier the state minimums are ridiculously low. $15,000 bodily injury (one person)/$30,000 two or more persons, and $10,000 property damage. I have a motorcycle, which for liability only my premium was $98 for a 12-month policy, for a 24-year-old male driver with a few moving violations on his record. For cars, my 21-year-old male flatmate pays about $200 for a 6-month policy on his Nissan 240SX, to give you a basic idea.
 
Police in the UK
They aren't all bad. Really.

But one thing is, they are all the same. anything over about 10% of the speed limit (to allow for the errors in speedometers) and you will be pulled over. Now sometimes they may just have a chat, tell you you're a cock, scare you a bit, then let you on your way. Some times they may fine you.

A lot of it is just being polite "yes sir, no sir" etc. etc. If you start acting like an arrogant prick or kick off they are going to fuck you with the long dick of the law. But if you are polite, admit your faults, apologise and what not they may just let you off with an ear full. It's called Police discretion, some things they may let slide.

I know a few officers as friends. And one thing they tell me is you can never tell if the police officer coming the other way, or one you're about to pass or w/e is going to be Mr Kind and forgiving, or Mr Jobsworth. So just to be safe, don't push it. Another thing they have said is that police will be less inclined to ignore you being naughty if "Process is down". Basically, if they look to be bone idol and they haven't issued many fines or arrested many people that month then they will stop letting things slide and go by the book.

Personally, I've seen both sides of this when either driving my self or being a passenger. I have overtaken a Police officer at 90mph (70mph is the limit) on a motorway before, only realising it's a copper as I am right along side him thinking "Oh, cock" but they've ignored it. And if you're thinking "How the fudge can he not see those glow in the dark cars they have over in the uk?" Well we have the unmarked police car's. And a night, when you're tired, they are easy to miss.


I've only personally been pulled once. Fully marked Vectra Estate traffic cop. They claimed I was flagging up as no insurance on the ANPR but actually I did have insurance and I think they where using it as an excuse as i was going down an industrial estate at silly o clock to do some photography with a friend. Once they cleared it all, we had a chat and a bit of a laugh and a joke! Pretty friendly actually. In fact, police I've met otherwise to this event I have also got on with. It seems as long as you treat them with respect, they don't become Jobsworths!
 
Here in Florida I failed the written test and missed the Stop sign question and was still given a license.
 
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