Article Written By: Raymond Greenlaw
A driver's licence, whether or not it is a car licence or truck licence, or possibly even a motorcycle licence, is the nearest thing we have in this country to a overall identity card, earned thru extended hours attending driving schools proven now by driving log books. Even a trifling learner's permit is evidence you are on the road to motoring identity. In this firmament of motoring ability, the non-driver is equivalent to a stateless person. The non-driver is probably going to be viewed with suspicion simply because the condition (that is, can't drive) in unusual; that suspicion grows when, with no driving licence, the non-driver can produce no prepared formal picture identification. Lack of the driver's licence means you are scratching to find the wherewithal to meet the 100-point identity check increasingly needed by govt and corporate officialdom. This is the state of non-citizens, of interlopers, folks with skeletons in the closet. Never having taken the driving test or attended driving schools, and thus not driving, has the flavor of rejecting societal norms, a little like a vegan, or a nudist. A touch cranky, but with the scent of sedition. The significance of driving, in Australia as in America, is that much larger thanks to the urban growth of the major cities, not to mention the huge open spaces between those towns. This, combined with the comparatively poor availability of public transport, means not having a driving permit reduces your independence and liberty of movement. The driving test is an initiation ritual to, and the valid driver's licence the badge of, adult citizenship. To reject this is positively un-Australian, and probably un-American. In comparison, ignorance of motoring and bypassing the driver's licence in mainland Europe, with its excessive public transport and close knit city living arrangements, might be definitely stylish. In the cities, riding a motorcycle makes much more sense than driving an auto, and a pedal cycle is the cheaper-quicker-environmentally thoughtful method of transport. Walking is best, and safest (especially where the streets are cobbled). However, it is not ever too late. Whilst it's better to learn just about anything when you are young, driving is still not so complicated for the mature-age student. Find the best qualified range of driving schools to choose from, select a then suitably qualified (and insured) driving instructor, and when ready head on down to the local Road Traffic Authority office for the test. The better news here is that, provided you can identify English script alphabetical characters ten centimeters (that's four inches) high at 15 paces, you do not want a credible driving licence as proof of identity so as to secure your learner permit.Then, they take your photograph, apply it to the ID card, and you are on the way to driving citizenship of the Earth. Yes, truly the World: once you have got your licence, the World Driving Permit is yours just for the asking.
This Article Has Been Published on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 and Read 300 Times