At what age is one allowed to get a learner’s permit?
dpi.wa.gov.au/licensing/learnerdrivers/1476.asp
dpi.wa.gov.au/mediafiles/lic_drivesafebook_part2.pdf (for all the details if you are interested)
Here in WA, it is anytime after you turn 16. You have to pass a test on road rules and safety before it will be issued. You have to be at least 16 and 6 months to take the driving assessment test after which you must still use the L plates and maintain a log book of how many hours you spend learning to drive with a qualified instructor. You have to have a minimum of 25 hours across a range of conditions before you qualify to go on to the next step. On or after your 17th birthday, you can get your log book checked and take the Hazard Perception Test. When you pass this, you get your P plates, which means you can now drive without supervision but still have restrictions. Then 2 years on the P plates so you can’t get a full license until you are 19.
As in America, states vary a little on their regulations but the general concensus is as above. (It is NSW that has P1 & P2) It was very unpopular around here when it came out because the big money jobs for school-leavers was driving the big trucks at the mines. (>AUD$100K pa) Now they can’t get the heavy goods/truck license until they are 19-20.
Yes, I like being able to spot the Learner and Provisional drivers and give them plenty of room and be prepared for them to do something stupid.
I used to live in the Middle East in various countries. Even though they really didn’t follow any rules of the road, I only once saw any road rage and some of the traffic snarls were enough to try the patience of a saint. For instance, in Tehran, even if there were only 3 lanes, they would fit as many cars across as would fit on the road, so you could have 5 cars across 3 lanes. When you were stopped at a light, people behind you would drive ahead on the wrong side of the road in order to cut in front of you when the light turned green. Of course, they were doing this coming from the opposite direction too so when the light changed there was mass confusion. The traffic jam that resulted from cars stopped for a train would take hours to sort out. One of the incidents that sticks in my memory was on the freeway. A car went past us at a great rate of knots in the fast lane. They noticed that they had missed their exit, so they threw the car in reverse, backed up (in the fast lane) to the exit and dived across the 3 lanes to get off the freeway. Miind you, there was not a lot of traffic on the freeway back in those days.
The closest I saw to road rage was when we were stopped at a light. The company provided a car and driver for us wives of employees. Some kid on a bicycle stopped next to us and rested his hand on the car. My driver got out and started to rough him up for putting a handprint on the car. It was mostly just pushing, shoving, and name-calling, no hitting. That was 30 years ago so things may have escalated since.
