actually Mr. Satis, you do not have to get a new picture everytime you renew. I still have my picture from when I turned 18. When you are 16 in Texas you have to take your picture with say your head turned facing the right, then at 17 you have to get a new one with your head turned to the left, then once you are 18 you have to get anew one with your head looking forward. Once you have done that it is up to you when the next time you need to renew your license. If you say pay 20.00 than it's like 7 years, and like 12.00 for 5 years kinda thing. Ok yes, I'm bored obviously to go on this much about this crap, but what the hell I've got no job so what the hell else do I have to do.

I wanted to stop right in the sidwalk so he couldn't go anywhere, and call the police on my cell phone. I have this great idea to prevent people from driving carelessly, and keep that people who don't have the skill to drive, too scared to get on the road.

It involves urban snipers, and could save thousands of lives. But it's my bed time. I'm sure you can get jist.

I think it's funny to ask people's driver license here, since we never have to renew it (unless you lose it of course) it's often hilarious to see how a person looked when he/she was about 18 years old.

What i would like on my car is a big message board (like you sometimes see for advertisement, or in train stations for example) connected to a keyboard in my dashboard somewhere. So that i can type messages to people driving around me. Like: "yes you're allowed to go 90 here, go go go" to a person that insists on driving 65 (km/u that is). Or "get out of my tail you moron".

ps: don't steal my idea

Eh? What's that for?

it's texas...did you expect anything else other than lunacy

In my state they used to have you face a different way if you were under the drinking age.

J, they do make a product like that. It's a digital readout that can be programmed with ~10 different messages, and controlled from a remote in the front. I thought about it once, but didn't want to get myself killed.

Why the hell do they make you face different directions? Surely it makes it at least a little bit harder to be identified, but hey.

Provisional - Liscence which allows driving of a Vehicle (vee-ik-ul not vee-HIK-ul, damned americans) so long as if it is a car, you have a fully trained driver (liscence holder) in the car with you, L plates on the car, and not on a motor way.

On a motor bike it permits up to 50cc, L plates, No motorways or major roads (maybe on the second one), License driver *may* (not sure) have to be on a escort bike (not sure of word) that follows you. Supervisor thingy. No Pillion pasengers.

CBT - Compulsary Basic Training, Motorbike,
permits use of up to a 125cc bike, No supervisor, No Pillion passengers, No motorways.

That's about it...

Damn, could be expected i wasn't the first with such an idea. Although it would be a lot cooler (but also more complicated to make) to be able to type whatever you want.
I understand what you mean when you say you didn't buy it, i think it could get you in more trouble than you would expect. There are enough agressive drivers already, no need to put yourself in their attention or to piss them off with a funny message.

At least we get to drink and drive (not at the same time of course) at the age of 18, we don't need different poses on our license.

Btw, dunno how the system to obtain your license in america is, but personally i think in belgium it sucks: i know several people that are a real menace on the road, they really honestly can NOT drive properly, still they have obtained their license and can drive everywhere they want.
I'm totally in favor of renewing your license every x years (say 5 years or so, also depends a bit on age) with tests, or having to follow a 'refreshment course' every year or something.

To give an example: my gf obtained her license 2 years or something before me, well I had to learn her to get into 5th, because she was kinda scared to drive up the 'highway' (dunno if it's like the highway in america, it's 2 or 3 lanes, separated for both directions, max speed is 120 km/u)
and so she never really used it, although driving 90 km/u with an old VW Golf in 4th makes your engine make more noise than i'm used to. And she obtained her license from her first try, although she took a strong tranquillizer against the stress , her father is still having nightmares from when he learned her to drive, at one point he almost believed he would die (honestly).

Enough making fun of my gf

hehe....sometimes I fear for my life when riding with Shiny. Then again, the reverse is also true.

That sign thing...that's what I do for a living (kinda). A small part of what I do for a living. But anyway, er...Shiny is right. I'm not a native Texan, I forgot about the renewing thing. Blah, whatever.

Y'know what's scary is that I didn't have to take a driving test to get my license. I had to take a written one, but no driving around oding what someone told me to do. I WAS required to take a 2 week driver's training course that was graded, but that's easy.

In Washington you have to pass a written test. Stuff like when to yeild, what the different lights mean on the the school bus (so you don't mow down the little kiddies), speed limits, etc.

You then have to pass a pratical test, with things like backing around a corner, parallel parking, basic maneouvering, etc. Unfortunately they grade so easily that nearly anyone could get their license. What really ticks me off, is that when I took the test, I got marked downin two areas for no fucking reason! I would have had a perfect score if that woman hadn't been such an ass.

/me goes off to fume...

Yup, I heard any moron can get a lisense in the US easily. Not that US traffic is that difficult, but still a scary thought.

Ah yeah, we have to pass a written test as well, then do a few basic manouvres like parking between 2 objects (fences), starting your car on a hill, and then we got to drive an hour i believe on the road, pretty near to the exam centre. So basically the same as pig says, although i'm not sure if the last part (on the road) is done in washington as well.

Another scary thought for you satis: the drivers license test is relatively new, dunno the exact date when it became the standard, but in the earlier days you would just go to the city hall and ask for the license. So all the 'old folks' that drive on our roads never had to take any exam at all. Ever.
Although i find it more spectacular that you didn't have to pass any test. But hey, as you can see with my gf, that test doesn't prove a thing, she still was a menace on the street, although one with a permit.

We drive on the road for most of the practical exam, though it is not for an hour. Probably 10-15 minutes.

Yea, any moron can pass our driving tests. It's all BS anyway. Though you can get it taken away too. You have to really be a moron, though, like getting caught drinking and driving.

Dunno how your regulation is about driving and drinking, prolly very strict; here in belgium i know a lot of people who have some beers and then take the chance to drive. If they catch you, you get a fine and lose your license for like 3 weeks, although it depends of course of how much you've drunk. But the cnances to get caught are pretty small, just during the christmas period they make an extra effort. I try to avoid it, although i must admit that in uni, i drove several times back to 'kot', but that was always at a time you'd only see other drunk students, and i could drive back with my eyes closes as it was just one street far (like 3 km) and never a chance to cross some cops.