Penalties for using your U.S. driver's license

maybe after I try and pass the exam I'll change my mind.

There was a story in the news a few years ago about German teenagers coming over to the U.K. for a "crash course" in learning to drive.    Apparently even with travel costs and several weeks accommodation it worked out cheaper than to go through the highly expensive course of professional lessons mandated by German law.   Of course, once they passed here and were given a full U.K. license they could then just return home and swap it for a German license.

It just goes to show that a little lateral thinking can sometimes save a lot of time, trouble, or money. 

Half of my office (The British Born) have told me that if they were to go in and take their UK test again they would fail...

I'm sure many of us would fail:   Hands over the top of wheel, parking brake gets released at the start of a journey and applied at the end (and that's all!), etc.  Even if we made a conscious effort to do things the "proper" way, I think we just have too many years of driving in our own particular style to suddenly go back to all the nonsense which is expected for the test.

Don't you think the instructors could be a little more leniant with peopel that have many years of experience???  The instructor obviously knew I could drive! 

I've thought for a long time that the test criteria should be more lenient in this respect.  Almost any experienced driver (and certainly an examiner) should be able to ride in a car and get a "gut feeling" as to whether the driver is in full control of the vehicle or not. 

It's fair enough that there should be some things which result in an automatic fail:  Speeding, running a light, wrong way into a one-way street, etc.  When it comes to individual driving style though, I don't see it matters one little bit how the person holds the wheel or how he changes gear, so long as he is in full control of the car all the time. 

So you are saying that THEORETICALLY I could exchange my IL license for a French one, and then my French one for a UK one?? 

If Illinois is one of states which has a reciprocal agreement with France, then yes.  In practice it might be a little more complex, as I'm pretty sure that the French rules say that one may only obtain a French license if actually resident in France.  Whether the French authorities would want to see an appropriate carte de sejour or other evidence of your legal residence before issuing a license, I don't know.

http://www.ambafrance-us.org/visitingfrance/driving.asp

Yes Paul, I think you would have to show some proof of residence...

I personally want my IL license, and I don't want to drive over here!  But DH does and he holds absolutely no attachment to his IL license.

It is so interesting that specific US states can have these agreements with France.  It shows how powerful state government can be if it so chooses.

http://www.ambafrance-us.org/visitingfrance/driving.asp

Yes Paul, I think you would have to show some proof of residence...

Thought that would probably be the case.  French bureaucracy seems to demand even more paperwork for everything than British! 

I know some Brits have obtained a license from another EU country for various reasons, but of course we don't have the same immigration/work restrictions so it's easier. 

Once the license is obtained, there's a sudden "change of mind" and decision to come back to Britain, of course.      Under the EU treaty rules though, one is then allowed to drive on that foreign license for the duration of its validity, which could be up to 10 years. 

I totally understand the frustration with the driving test.  And instructors.   I had had a bad day before one of my lessons and so I was somewhat distracted.  not driving badly, but falling into autopilot habits.  He managed to undermine my confidence soo much that I almost stopped driving all together.  It got worse after that.  He was more intent on turning me into an English Granny than helping me to pass the test, that I didn't see an end in sight to my lessons.  We basically drove drive test routes and I would get no feedback on my faults - if there were any..

We finally just couldn't take it anymore and we wanted to drive without anything hanging over our heads.  Fortunately, we had Canadian licences which we could trade for an automatic UK licence.  But our car was a manual..  On our one year anniversary of landing in the UK, we acquired an automatic vehicle and have said to hell with the DVLA.  I feel like we were a bit defeated because we really wanted to pass the test.  But the timing of it all just was not on our side.  And it would have taken two more months to sort out.  I am more than relieved we are  now able to drive legally.  And I don't have to deal with condescending driving instructors anymore!

The driving requirements in this country are ridiculous!  Someone from Turkey, who has their licence for a week, can come here for a full UK licence.  You can not tell me that Turkey has better driving standards than the US or Canada!

Under the EU treaty rules though, one is then allowed to drive on that foreign license for the duration of its validity, which could be up to 10 years. 

My Arizona drivers license (which I don't have anymore) was issued with an expiration date of 2033, the date that I turned 60.  Would EU treaties have to respect that for the length of its validity.  (Technically you are supposed to go in every 12 years to update your photo, but the actual expiration date was 16/6/2033 on the card).

My Arizona drivers license (which I don't have anymore) was issued with an expiration date of 2033, the date that I turned 60.  Would EU treaties have to respect that for the length of its validity.

No -- The rules only require us to honor a license from another EU country.

From the 1970s until the introduction of the photocard license, U.K. licenses were also issued with a very long validity, until one's 70th birthday.  My first license issued in 1983 had an expiry date of 2036.

Wow, I had no idea what happened to this thread- it sure has expanded in my absence! : )

It's a really sore topic with all of us, and for good reason. Several things I can add from my experience:

1. I got into an accident recently and was fully reimbursed even though I was driving "illegally" with my American license, and also the accident was "my fault" (even though I was going through a green light at the time!). They simply never asked about my license.

2. Yes, you can definitely exchange a South Carolina license (and several others) for a French or German one, no strings attached, as long as you can prove you live there...and that is why I made an excursion to the U.S. earlier this year to get my U.S. license renewed in South Carolina instead of Georgia, where it was originally from!    I was lucky to have a quasi-senile aunt who lives in S.C., so I was able to provide the evidence that I "live" in South Carolina now (at her residence) supposedly! 

I really dislike living in the UK so I'm trying to get a job in Germany, but it's tough to get an English-speaking job there in my industry (and with unemployment as high as it is right now). However, I certainly don't relish the idea of driving "illegally" so if I don't get an offer within a couple months, I'm going to go for my backup plan and get a French license, which is valid in the UK (My parents live in France- once again I'm in luck- and hopefully it won't be too hard to pretend I live in France with them!)

Good luck to all of you with your driving endeavours : )

3.

Have any of you heard of those "international drivers' licenses." I think they're offered by AAA back in the States. Are these at all valid? Do they even offer them any more? (Its been several years since I've heard anything about this.)

Just curious.

Have any of you heard of those "international drivers' licenses." I think they're offered by AAA back in the States. Are these at all valid? Do they even offer them any more?

The IDP (International Driving Permit) is still available, issued by the AA and RAC in Britain.  It's not a driver's license in itself, however, but simply a document which provides a translation of one's driving entitlements into a dozen or so different languages in an internationally agreed format (or to be precise, one of two different formats).   An IDP needs to be used in conjunction with a regular license to have any validity.   

Some countries require foreign visitors to have an IDP so that local police etc. can understand driving entitlements, but as far as going between the U.S. and the U.K. is concerned, or for driving anywhere in Western Europe with a U.K. license, they're a waste of time.

http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/index.html

I wouldn't place too much reliance on the entries which state "IDP recommended."  It says that even for the U.S.A.  & Canada.

From what I understand, driving on your US license after the time limit would be essentially like driving with no license at all and the penalties, whatever they are, would be applied (ie: a criminal offense). Even if you are insured with a UK insurer, they would not have a duty to honor any claim made by you or another party if they find out your license is invalid. If you committed a crime while driving (ie: drunk driving, hit and run, etc), they would be required to pay any third party claim  (and they may cancel your policy upon renewal) but if you invalidated the policy by not having a valid license, failing to notify them of motoring conviction or even putting alloy wheels on your car and not telling them...they could lawfully refuse to indemnify you from any third party claim and certainly wouldn't pay your own claim. Meaning, goodness forbid you injure someone, you could be sued personally as your insurance cover would be withdrawn. Unfortunately, I work in a law firm that deals with road traffic accident claims. If an insurer can find a way to invalidate your policy, they will. Best not to risk it.

I too am currently taking my long overdue lessons to pass The Test and unlearn 20 years bad driving habits. My first instructor was rubbish. I didn't ask for a woman but got one. She knew I knew how to drive but never drove a manual and hadn't driven in 6 years. She put me behind the wheel straight away and I struggled for 2 hours straight with her just telling me 'left here' 'right here'....and grabbing the wheel from me on a few occasions which she nearly got smacked for. I switched to a new instructor and while he is going through baby steps with me, I'm finding him a great teacher to get into UK habits to pass the test. I'm learning all sorts of goofy things that were necessary in the US but forbidden in the UK and necessary in the UK but forbidden in the US. I'm on my 6th lesson soon and hope 10 should suffice. Although the national pass rate he says is 41%, York is 47% so I'm hopeful. I've passed my theory/hazard perception first go and cannot recommend enough getting the practice cds from BSM or similar.

Good luck to us all!

Does anyone know how this applies to corporate insurance policies? Can they still refuse to pay a claim?

I've just learned about having to get the Provisional license first, and I'm upset about having to part with my passport and spousal visa, especially as this is a time when I hope to be getting a job and I'm sure they'll need to see my original passport etc (for a potential job). How long does it take to get your passport back??  I'm annoyed about having to go through so many steps, and wonder why the US and UK haven't developed some partnership to make some things smoother for Brits and Americans going between countries, since they're such good buddies!

I've just learned about having to get the Provisional license first, and I'm upset about having to part with my passport and spousal visa, especially as this is a time when I hope to be getting a job and I'm sure they'll need to see my original passport etc (for a potential job). How long does it take to get your passport back??  I'm annoyed about having to go through so many steps, and wonder why the US and UK haven't developed some partnership to make some things smoother for Brits and Americans going between countries, since they're such good buddies!

Do a search in this board 'Travel and Transport' for provisional license.  There are plenty of threads such as

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=25379.0

that discuss getting a provisional license.

it took about 2 weeks to get my passport back for my provisional.


Oh and I took lessons for about 7 months - It was around 30 some lessons I think when I counted it up in order to pass - so just when you think 10 or 12 is enough, you discover it isn't, however, everyone is different.

Also, it took til my 3rd time to pass and 2 instructors - the first one left to be an examiner which was sad b/c he was wonderful. The second one was okay, but didn't give enough feedback until I asked.

In the end - VERY expensive, but well worth it especially since I had probs w/ my American license and now don't have one (there's a thread somewhere telling about that - insurance cancelled = suspended license in VA)

I'm happy to have it and quite proud, but it was NOT easy