Driver''s License
Driver's License, a legal authorization permitting an individual to drive a road vehicle. In the United States, drivers' licenses are issued by the states. Separate licenses are usually necessary to drive automobiles, large trucks, and motorcycles.
Applicants for a license are normally required to take both a written examination testing their familiarity with traffic signs and signals, safety rules, and road laws, and a road examination testing their driving skills. Vision is also checked. States also issue learning permits, which allow an unlicensed applicant to drive when accompanied by a licensed driver.
A motorist must renew his or her license at regular intervals and generally undergo periodic retesting. Older persons may be more frequently retested.
Some states require persons to be covered by automobile insurance before they can drive. A few states revoke licenses of uninsured drivers who are found to be at fault in a traffic accident. States reserve the right to revoke or suspend licenses of motorists who have a record of frequent driving violations, traffic accidents, or incidents of drunkenness, or who are considered to be physically unfit to drive.
In some foreign countries, including Canada and Mexico, United States tourists may use their regular state-issued license. In a number of other countries they can drive by obtaining an international driving permit; the same permit is valid in all participating countries.