jimdfish Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 Can anyone explain how the American driving license system works, insurance etc, suspended licenses please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 May very well differ by state. The USA is not one country, it is 50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted February 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 May very well differ by state. The USA is not one country, it is 50. Is that why they call it the United States then? I think your insurance is linked to plates and you take the plates car to car. Other than geography lessons can anyone clarify or tell me of personal experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted February 23, 2014 Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Motor_Vehicles In the United States of America, a department of motor vehicles (DMV) is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liamey Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Not the States but not too dissimilar, here in Canada we have vehicle registration that we go to. Each year we purchase a sticker that we stick on the registration plate - similar to your tax disc. In order to purchase and renew your sticker you have to show valid insurance. Speeding points are added to the drivers licence not taken away. Hopefully someone from the States will be by! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Is that why they call it the United States then? I think your insurance is linked to plates and you take the plates car to car. Other than geography lessons can anyone clarify or tell me of personal experience Is that why they call it the United States then? I think your insurance is linked to plates and you take the plates car to car. Other than geography lessons can anyone clarify or tell me of personal experience Yes as in a group of separate self governing states over seen by a uniting government, United States, the clue is in the name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Is that why they call it the United States then? I think your insurance is linked to plates and you take the plates car to car. Other than geography lessons can anyone clarify or tell me of personal experience As mentioned, the US is a collective of 50 states assembled under a Federal system. In some ways you could liken it to the EU in that each state has governance over some things, while other things are regulated at a collective level (no need to get into the discussion of strong vs weak central/local governments in this thread). In the US, driving licenses are are a state governed activity. Each state's rules are different when it comes to licenses, insurance, registration, etc. Federal mandate says that each state must recognize another state's rules (i.e. if you're legal to drive in Florida, then you're legal to drive across all 50 states even if they have different rules). For instance, Florida requires no vehicle insurance and no inspection (MOT). Some other states are the same. California requires insurance, inspection, and emissions testing to a really tight standard. The only way to know for your situation is to know what state it is. Generally, most states have similar requirements (insurance, registration, and inspection), however the details vary. For the most part, the license plate is 'owned' by the person and is not car specific. When you sell your car, you keep the plates and transfer them to your new car. Registration for all of the states I've lived in (north east) have used stickers to signify a current registration, like LIamey describes. Insurance is similar to here, but there are a couple key differences. First, it varies wildly state to state, even more so than the postcode lottery here. NJ is severly expensive. PA is fairly cheap. The difference between the two could influence your decision to live in one or the other if you're working near the border (we're talking $3k a year difference for someone with a clean driving record). Second, insurance isn't limited to just the specific car-driver insured. My car insurance in PA on my car would allow me to drive a loaner or hire car with no additional insurance. It would also allow incidental driving of my car by someone not named on my policy. Effectively in the US you are insuring the driver while here you are insuring the car and only for named drivers. Driving License suspensions in the US go across states. If you have a suspended PA license and are caught driving in NJ, the trooper will be able to see you have a suspended license from PA. For the most part you can only have a license in 1 state as you must be resident to get one and you can only really be a resident of 1 place at a time. When you declare your residence, you have a set amount of time (30-90 days, depending on state) to hand in your old license and exchange it for a new one of your new state. If your license is suspended by PA, NJ won't give you a license in exchange until your suspension is up (or they might, but it too will be suspended). thanks, rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted February 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Yes as in a group of separate self governing states over seen by a uniting government, United States, the clue is in the name! Sarcasm, the lowest form of wit, sadly however it does pass people by. Casts by fly. That is exactly what I wanted. Thank you Thanks Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Sarcasm, the lowest form of wit, sadly however it does pass people by. Casts by fly. That is exactly what I wanted. Thank you Thanks Jim I was not being sarcastic, I was explaining, they are individually and collectively governed. The clue is in the name, United States, as each state is United under the main government! If it was sarcasm I would just have said "The clue is in the name" without explaining leaving you possibly floundering like a hooked Dab sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twistedsanity Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Sarcasm is the lowest for of wit but it's also a sign of intelligence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted February 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 I was being sarcastic. Unites states etc. I am educated well enough not only to interpret a series of words that form a sentence ( United States of America ) but I also know how America is made up both federal and state. I also know Leonard rossiter wrote a book about sarcasm. Very good it is too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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