Don't procrastinate

[Spawn-Inc]

well i will be loosing my car insurance come April 2010 since i dragged my feet to get my full licence. they only accept 1 at fault accident with my current insurance company under a G2 licence.

i bumped into a guy going 5km/hr and there was NO damage and no cops. the guy goes and claims it anyway after telling me he wouldn't... f***. i don't even know what you can claim?

anyhow it's a lesson in procrastination and why not to do it.

i will very likely be paying gob's of money now for insurance.

[mDust]

Good news in the car insurance department: mine just went down 60 bucks today! woohoo! Turns out if you have no late payments, no accidents, and no claims whatsoever and you ask 'why is my premium so high?' the voice in the phone might say 'lets lower that for you!'.
Sorry about your luck man.

[Spawn-Inc]

well i'm never late with the payment or have never missed one, it's automatic.

but i do have 3 speeding tickets so thats why my insurance will sky rocket.

and of course when i want to get my full licence the dumb s***s are on strike...

[mDust]

a quality radar detector ftw!

[Airbozo]

Not sure what you are talking about with "Full License".

Do they have traffic school in the Great White North? That helped me keep my motorcycle insurance rates down when I got popped for speeding and crossing the yellow line (the later infraction was complete BS!).

[Luke122]

We apparently have graduated licensing here now, which means you get your learners, then a sort of "almost" license that lets you drive on your own with some restrictions. After that, you get your regular "full" license. I'm glad I was licensed before this system came along.

At any rate, call your insurance company, and talk to your agent. Let them know what's up, and your concerns, and see what they can do for you, or at least if they can explain what's going on.

[Spawn-Inc]

ya there is 3 stages, G1, G2 and G.

G1- will let you drive with someone in the front seat with a G licence. no night, highway, or drinking aloud.

G2 (what i have) - no other people needed in the car or drinking.

G - can do anything and have up to .05 blood alcohol level.


you do a written test for the g1 and you must have it for a year before you can try for a G2. you can do some driving lessons and shorten it to 8 months.

then you do a driven test and get your G2 - no highway.

G you do both highway and road test.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Our system may be too easy, but it beats the hell out of yours. Sorry, man, that sucks...

[Airbozo]

Our system may be too easy, but it beats the hell out of yours. Sorry, man, that sucks...

This I agree with. Sometimes it is way too easy and the dipwits driving the roads have no business with a license... In California (at least), they have a similar graduated licensing system.

Excerpt from the California DMV page:
Provisional driver license restrictions during the first year

After you pass your driving test, you will be issued a provisional driver license. With your provisional driver license, you must be accompanied and supervised by a licensed parent, guardian or other licensed driver 25 years of age or older, or by a licensed or certified driving instructor when you:

* Transport passengers under 20 years of age at any time, for the first twelve months.
* Drive between 11 pm and 5 am for the first twelve months.

This means you cannot give anyone under 20 years old (your friends, your brother(s), sister(s), cousin(s), etc.) a ride unless you have a licensed parent, a guardian or other adult 25 years old or older in the car with you. You are also not allowed to drive between 11 pm and 5 am during your first year after getting your license unless you have a licensed parent, a guardian or other adult 25 years old or older in the car with you.

With a provisional license, you can drive by yourself between the hours of 5 am and 11 pm. If you are under 18, you cannot be employed to drive a motor vehicle.

When you turn 18 years of age, the provisional part of your license ends. You may continue to drive as an adult using your photo license, which will expire on your 5th birthday after the date you applied.

There are also add on's to a license for things like Motorcycles, dual axle trucks Driver for hire, etc.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

So once you turn 18, all restrictions go away? That makes sense, then. I was a bit confused and thought the new-license restrictions applied to everyone until I read that, heh.

(I'm a slightly unusual case - I didn't get my license until a few months after I turned eighteen, but I'd been driving for a couple years beforehand with a family member in the car.)

I don't remember our driving restrictions here, 'cos they don't apply to me anyway. I will say that the night driving prohibition is a bit odd - eleven? not midnight? - and that the regulation against underage passengers could be either good or bad (there can't be any 'Bill, take your sister to soccer practice'!). I'd think that a one-underage-passenger limit would make sense, so that you can't drive around a carload of friends, but you can take your friend/date out somewhere. That's why I don't write the laws, though.