That's quite strict, and probably results in better all-around riders, at least
early on. When I first started riding back in 1970, I was on an Army post in
Asmara, Ethiopia, (now Eritrea) and the post commander required all cyclists to
have licenses for the specific brand and displacement model bike they had. One
size did not fit all. You rode with a permit and another rider (on a separate
bike) for 30 days, and then you could take the test, which was administered by
the post motorcycle club. It was rigorous, to say the least. At that time, the
province of Eritrea had pavement in a few places only. The rest was dirt. Great
place to ride. We had no MC fatalities during the two years I was there. I
think the licensing requirement is responsible. (If you replaced your bike with
another model or displacement, you had to go through the process all over
again, the only difference being you didn't have to have a second rider along
during the first 30 days. But you still had to take
and pass the test.)
My license course in Maine lasted two days. A half day of classroom, and a day
and a half of riding. The course used 250cc bikes. The last part of the second
day was the test. It was extremely easy to fail. That said, I still think rider
training should last longer and be more rigorous.
Our teens have provisional licenses, too, but they don't get special plates.
Between the ages of 16 and 21 (legal drinking age) they can lose their licenses
for any blood alcohol content at all. At my high school, driver education was
free, but a choice, not a requirement. It simply meant that by taking Driver
Ed, you could get your license upon completion of the course, as long as you
were 16.
Now, in Maine, Driver Ed is something you pay for through a private company.
It's pretty expensive. The alternative is a long permit period followed by a
stringent driving test. Even kids who pass Driver Ed typically have to take the
driving exam through DMV two or three times.
And yet we still have an abundance of crappy drivers. Not as bad as
Massachusetts, but still bad enough. <g>
--Bob Whitmire
Registered Neanderthal
On Jun 20, 2013, at 6:04 PM, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> It is pretty stringent here. For a car you get a learner's permit when you're
> 17 but can't sit the test until you're 18. If you pass, you have to display a
> red P plate (Provisional) for the first year and a green P for the next two.
> During that period, you will lose your licence if you are breath tested and
> have ANY alcohol reading at all. There are also rules about the number of
> people you have in the car and a limit on the power to weight ratio of the
> car. It's quite easy to lose your licence in that period for offences that
> would gain the rest of us a fine and demerit points only.
> For a motorcycle you have to undergo a short course and then be on a
> learner's permit for at least a year before you sit the actual test - which
> takes two days - one theory, one practical. Then it's the same P plate
> requirement and I suspect that you can't have a pillion passenger for the
> first year. And that would apply to me at my age too - no exceptions. The
> postal workers who deliver on 125cc 'Postie' bikes have to go through it when
> they start.
--
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