So, yes, at 22 I'm finally taking the reigns to start earning my drivers licence. While I'm reading through the first guide book of three I will recieve as I go thrugh the process, I got to wondering what getting and having a drivers licence is like for others.

How long from start to finish does it take to get a driving licence where you live?

How long did it take you to get your licence from start to finish?

Did you get your licence as soon as you turned 16 or wait?

If you waited, why?

If you have a licence, is it worth it to you?

Is car insurence REALLY that painful?

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Answering my own questions...

It takes three years (YES! three YEARS!) to get a fully verified, no ristrictions drivers licence where I live. you can drive during those three years, but they all have a lot of restrictions of some kind. It takes four test minimum, and you need insurance if you own or are driving a car.

I've only started on the process in learning how to drive, so I don't know how long it will take me yet.

I waited to get my licence. I live in an area with very good transit system and just did not have the money or need to own a car. I am planning on moving away to somewhere else and internationally travel within the next few years now though, so I am now getting my licence since I know not everywhere has transit, or at least not transit I want to use.

The last two I can't answer, but I REALLY want to hear from others to see if this is really a good idea.

Q1. It depends on how many lessons you have each week, and how well you take to it i guess. I'm still learning so i couldn't give a specific time.

Q2. I started learning on 13th January, this year. I'm nearly read to take my theory. It's usually not long after that people take their test.

Q3. The minimum age here in England is 17. I sent off for it straight away, but put off a month before i started.

Q4. I was a bit nervous.

Q5. I think it will be, when i get it.

Q6. From what i've herd. Yes. Very. Though it does depend on whether you do a scheme called Pass Plus or not, and what type of car you have.

it takes about a year to get your licence where i live if you are under 18. If you are over 18, you can get it instantly, it takes one test.
If you are under 18 you have to go through driver's education in High school. Then you have to take the written test at the DMV. If you Pass that, you get a permit and have that for at least 6 months before you can take the test required to recieve your licence. Then you have to go through driver training, where you have three two hour sessions with a driving instructor. This can cost anywhere from $150-$300 and you must have at least a month in between each session. Then you have to have a certain amount of hours with your parent in the car with you so that you can practice driving. I forgot how many hours you have to have during daytime, but for night driving, I think it's at least 5 accumulative hours.
After you are done with the process before the test, your parent has to drive you to the DMV and you take the 15 minute test. If you pass the test (and are under 18) you then get a provisional license. During the first year of having this "provisional license" you can't have people under the age of 20 in your car without having someone 25 or older with a license in the car with you. You also can't drive between the hours of 11pm and 5am unless you have a valid reason for doing so, such as work.
It took me about 9 months to a year. I got my license when I was 16. It was worth it to me to get my license because now i have my car and my license won't be provisional anymore in june yaaaayyy!

How long from start to finish does it take to get a driving licence where you live?

- about 2 months

How long did it take you to get your licence from start to finish?

- a year and i stop for some tim now

Did you get your licence as soon as you turned 16 or wait?

- here its 18 and yes ihad classes for a year

If you waited, why?

-was no time parents made me go

If you have a licence, is it worth it to you?

- it wil be

Is car insurence REALLY that painful?

-i guss

It took around 25 minutes or so but it felt like it was alot longer for the driving part. But you had to wait in line to drive plus wait for them to take your picture and wait to get it back. Maybe an hour or so I can not remember it was too far back.

It took me three trys to get them I hit the curb on the first one then I ended up screwing up completely with the guy that got in the car. He had on his cop uniform and I freaked out and pulled out in front of on coming traffic and everything lol.

I started trying for them as soon as I turned. My parents where all for it driving me and my sister to school and all the practices we had they would not have to drive to.

I like them knowing I CAN if I want to. But I do not really drive that often. I did when I was younger but not as much now. I am a house cat XD

It is but when you get married they get lower for the guys they get lower when they hit 25 but a little lower for the married rate.

I waited a year before getting my license. I didn't really want it when I was 16. At the time it seemed like extra responsibility that I didn't want.

When I was 17, I got my license, a job, and started making payments on a (kind of junky) car. Insurance for me is $500/year. It's not that bad because I'm pretty good at saving and usually get it saved up quickly for next time after making a payment so that I don't have to worry about it.

Gas is the real killer. I live in a smaller town, but everything I have to do including school is 20ish miles away (and there aren't any buses in my town). I spend about $160 on gas/month...and it's looking like gas prices are just going to get worse and worse. I've tried cutting back on my driving, but I have to go to school, so there's only so much I can do.

:shock: Can I live where you guys live that it only takes a few months!?!? Gah! it takes so painfully long here... I'm honestly ready to say 'screw it' and move to another province in order to get it sooner (Full verified licence in a few months) and come back here and take the re-verification test. Bleh.

We don't get any free schooling on how to drive here, not even in high school. Lucky buggers you be!

Note: I'm female, so I will be getting a lower insurance rate then a guy would, BUT.. my province als ohas the highest insurance for women. Still less then the men's, but highest in Canada for women. I don't want to say why becasue it would sound bad.

As it seems like i'm the only one with my license who pays car insrance, i'll give my input.

How long from start to finish does it take to get a driving licence where you live?

about a year after you get you're permit

How long did it take you to get your licence from start to finish?

About 1 year

Did you get your licence as soon as you turned 16 or wait?

Yes. I couldn't wait to be able to get out of the house.

If you waited, why?

I didn't.

If you have a licence, is it worth it to you?

Oh most defiantely. Don't get me wrong, I take the bus to college now. But the first year i had it, my license meant FREEDOM.

Is car insurence REALLY that painful?

Yes. over 300 bucks a month. that's over 1/4 of my salary. Add gas on top of that, and my car takes up 1/2 my salary.

I was 25 when I got mine. Still didn't want one but figured I should before the looks got even stranger. Car insurance isn't that bad for me since I'm a married mom over 25 who's never had so much as a speeding ticket. It is worth it. I still don't drive much, but it's nice to be able to when I have to. Relying on others for rides really bites. When I decided to get mine it actually happened pretty quickly. I got yet another permit, waited the week, took the test, and got my license. Took a little over 1 week.

How long from start to finish does it take to get a driving licence where you live?

I live in BC, Canada and it takes quite a long time, nearly 2 or 3 full years to get your FULL drivers lisence. You progress from a Learners Lisence to a New Driver's license to a full on Lisence.

How long did it take you to get your licence from start to finish?

Sadly, I do not have my driver's lisence!

Did you get your licence as soon as you turned 16 or wait?

I did not ever get mine...

Is car insurence REALLY that painful?

From what I have seen with friends and family, it is a pain in the butt but worth it!

It took me three weeks to get my license. Well, if you don't count the whole learner's permit thing. You have to hold that for nine months before you can get an actual license around here.

I ended up waiting a while, but not because I wanted to. I was homeschooled the last two years of high school, so I never got Driver's Ed through the school. So I had to pay to get it from an actual Driver's Ed school. Every time we saved up the money, the school would already be full. When they had an opening, something else would come up and we wouldn't have the money. xD So it took me an extra year to line everything up.

I just got my license on Saturday, so I don't know how 'worth it' it is yet. However, considering that I'm not within walking distance of any place to get a job/buy groceries/friends' houses/etc., I'm sure it'll come in handy. xD

Yes, car insurance sucks. They tacked an extra $130 a month on the family's insurance bill because I got my license. Now I need to get a job. Between gas prices, car payments, and insurance payments, it's hell.

I don't have my license yet. I fail at being 16.
I had my permit, but it expired. ;_; So I have to go get it renewed. But with how expensive gas is, we can't really afford for me to just drive around the neighborhood for half an hour a week to practice, y'know? :/
Kinda sucks.

I wish I had gotten mine right when I turned 16 like you Cherry. Good on ya!

In Perth, uou can drive on a UK Drivers Licence for up to 3 months but after this period you do need a WA Drivers licence. If you already have a UK full driving licence you do not need to take another driving test though!

You can get a permit to learn to drive when you are 16. When you are learning, you have to be accompanied by either a licensed driving instructor or a person who holds a current and valid licence and has held the class of licence (eg car, truck etc) specified on your permit for at least 4 years. You have to accumulate 25 hours of supervised driving experiencesand can't drive with a blood alcohol concentration equal to, or exceeding 0.02%. On or after your 17th birthday you will have to pass the Hazard Perception Test to get your provisional licence (P plates), which you keep for two years.

Originally Posted by MrsGrape

I wish I had gotten mine right when I turned 16 like you Cherry. Good on ya!

No, no, I don't have my license yet. I plan on doing it soon, but I'm closer to 17 than 16 right now.

I got mine at about 16 1/2. It's definitely been worth it, since I live in an area where nothing is close by. Not sure how painful insurance is, because currently my mom pays for it. <.<;

gah... calculating right now, and my insurance with any care payments will still end up being more then my rent :shock: gah... going to have to hope my dad gives me his old car like he told me he would, though I'm not counting on it.

How long from start to finish does it take to get a driving licence where you live?

It depends on how old you are and whether you've had some sort of driver's education course. The high school here offers a course, but it's pretty expensive. It's what I took though.

How long did it take you to get your licence from start to finish?

I'm not actually sure off the top of my head... If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say about a year.

Did you get your licence as soon as you turned 16 or wait?

I didn't get mine until after I was 18.

If you waited, why?

I didn't have anyone to take me out driving while I had my permit, and I needed a parent to sign for the license before I was 18, but I was living with my grandmother and she couldn't get out to sign for me.

If you have a licence, is it worth it to you?

It really is. I get groceries for my grandma, can go to college, and can make other awesome trips that I wouldn't be able to make if I didn't have my license.

Is car insurence REALLY that painful?

Mine isn't really that bad. I got full coverage (medical, insuring me and the other person, and insurance in case I get hit by an uninsured driver) for about $300 a year. That comes up to about $52 a month. Not too bad for all of that.

Right about now I really wish I had my licence ... urrrgh!!

MrsGrape, you have a lto of posts >_> Kinda scared me when I saw your name all up and down the board.

... but yes. I kinda wish I had my licence already, but with how long it takes here (British Columbia) it feels equivilant of pulling teeth. I'm going to make myself at least get my Learners before I start travelling though... that takes about a year to officaly 'mature', so hopefully I can return from my travels in time to get my 'New Driver's licence.

... and yet we STILL have horrible drivers.... WTF?

So here in MD, people can get learner's permits when they're 15 and 9 months. I've been planning to get mine for a while now, but I haven't gotten the chance because I've been so busy with school. Well, I'm going to take driving school during the summer and get it over with soon; I want to drive by the time I'm a junior in high school.

Gah! 15! Lucky you. I might have still had the get go to get a licence at 15.... I didn't move to transit accesable BC till I was 17, but before that I was raging to get a licence. Sadly at first I lived in a country where girls aren't allowed to drive, then lived with my grandparents who pretty much wanted me to stay in the basement. XP

I want to get my licence wuicker... ;_; ... three years to get a proper transferrable licence SUCKS.

I'll be getting one soon.

I waited a bit to get my license. Then I decided to try and get it when I turned 20. I had my temporary license, and I had all of the books and everything to study. I was looking over it and everything... but I hadn't actually had a chance to practice.

My mom was literally keeping me from driving because she didn't want me to. I think she was afraid fo me growing up (I'm the youngest, out of 4 children... all of whom are in their 30's and 40's). Then, when I eventually did convince her to let me drive, she would just take me to parking lots... for like 3 months. o_O

With no practice driving in traffic, I got really annoyed and scheduled my test. XD After that, she let me drive in traffic. A week after I got my license, my friend took me out to drive on the highway.

I'm a pretty good driver, but at first, I had a lot of mishaps with hitting the breaks too late. I almost rear-ended quite a few people... until I got used to how soon to stop at what speed.

I was 19 when I got my license and that was probably a good thing, I don't think that I was responsible enough when I was 16, not that I was a lot more responsible at 19. I didn't have to go to classes because I was over 18 when I got them, that might be different now, I hope so. It didn't take long for me because I didn't have to take classes. If you live somewhere where there is nothing close, it is well worth having your license because you don't have to rely on public transportation or other people to get you where you need to be, in places where things are closer together, it may not be worth it.