Driving

Driving is the controlled operation of a vehicle, which is usually a motor vehicle such as a truck, bus, or car. For bicycles, mounted animals (not including chariot operation) and — at least in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada — motorcycles, the corresponding activity is usually called riding (although operation of a bicycle is sometimes called bicycle driving).

Driving includes knowing how to operate the mechanisms which control the speed and direction (which in technical terminology are both components of the velocity), and the braking of the vehicle, and especially includes knowing how to do both safely. An experienced driver usually has an intuitive understanding of the basics of car handling.

Driving as a physical skill

In terms of the basic physical tasks required, driving a motor vehicle generally involves:
* Starting the vehicle's engine with the starting system
* Setting the transmission to the correct gear
* Depressing the pedals with one's feet to accelerate and slow the vehicle (and, if necessary, to change gears)
* Steering the vehicle's direction with the steering wheel
* Operating other important ancillary devices like the headlights and windshield wipers
* Watching the road conditions in all directions around the vehicle (including frequent checks behind the vehicle using mirrors) to monitor the relative location of other vehicles (including bicycles) and pedestrians.

Driving as a survival skill

Of course, driving is far more complicated than simply pressing pedals and turning the steering wheel; it also involves looking out for everyone (and everything) else on the road. The skill of safe driving is necessary to avoid collisions, which kill many thousands of people annually (see also car accident).

Safe driving is much more than following the legally prescribed rules of the road. It goes beyond that into the cultivation of good habits, maintaining attention, and a thoughtful, cooperative attitude that help to avoid and prevent accidents. This is often described as defensive driving.

Driving laws

Ohio Driver's Manual, 1950

In most countries, the use of public roads is heavily governed by law. Laws cover the construction and maintenance of roads, the construction and use of vehicles, the rules of the road, the requirements for driver and vehicle licensing (see Driver's license and License plate), vehicle taxation, safety inspections and compulsory insurance. These laws reflect the high degree of responsibility which is imposed upon both the drivers and manufacturers of vehicles to make them as safe in use as they can possibly be.

Motorists are almost universally required to take lessons with an approved instructor and pass a driving test before being granted a license. The trend has been towards increasingly tougher tests in recent decades. Almost all countries allow all adults with good vision to apply to take a driving test and, if successful, to drive on public roads. Saudi Arabia, however, bans women from driving vehicles (whether pedal or motor powered) on public roads. Saudi women have periodically staged driving protests against these restrictions.

In many countries, even after passing one's driving test, new drivers may be initially subject to special restrictions. For example, in Australia, novice motorists are required to carry "P" ("provisional") plates, and are subject to lower speed limits, alcohol limits, and other restrictions for their first two years of driving. This varies between states.

Minimum driving ages

The minimum age required for driving varies depending on the country. The most common age is 18. Here are the ages required in some countries (in alphabetical order), note that some regions of the countries may start at a different age than other regions, this is just the minimum age requirement to drive:
* Albania: 18
* Argentina: 17
* Australia
** New South Wales: 17 (16 with adult supervision)
** South Australia: 16.5 (16 with adult supervision)
** Victoria: 18 (16 with adult supervision)
** Queensland: 17 (16.5 with adult supervision)
** Northern Territory: 17
** Tasmania: 17 (16 with adult supervision)
** Western Australia: 17 (16 with adult supervision)
* Austria: 17
* Belgium: 18
* Brazil: 18
* Bulgaria: 18
* Canada: 16
* Chile: 18 (17 with adult supervision)
* China: 18
* Colombia: 18 (16 with limitations)
* Croatia: 20 (18 with limitations)
* Czech Republic: 18
* Denmark: 18
* Egypt: 18
* Estonia: 18 (16 with adult supervision)
* Ethiopia: 14
* Finland: 18
* France: 18
* Germany: 18
* Ghana: 18
* Greece: Varies from 16 to 18 years of age, depending on Vehicle Category. Usually minimum of 17
* Hong Kong: 18
* Hungary: 17
* Indonesia: 17
* Iceland: 17
* Iran: 18
* Ireland: 17
* India: 18
* Isle of Man: 16
* Israel: 17
* Italy: 18
* Japan: 18
* Luxembourg: 18 (17 with adult supervision)
* Malaysia: 17
* Malta: 18
* Mauritius: 18
* Mexico: 16
* Morocco: 18
* Netherlands: 18
* New Zealand: 15
* Norway: 18
* Oman: 18
* Pakistan: 18
* Peru: 18
* Philippines: 17
* Poland: 18
* Portugal: 18
* Puerto Rico: 18 (16 under limited circumstances)
* Romania: 18
* Russia: 18
* South Africa: 18
* Singapore: 18
* Spain: 16
* Sweden: 18
* Switzerland: 18
* Taiwan: 18
* Tanzania: 18
* Turkey: 18
* United States: Varies from 14 to 17 by state
* United Kingdom: 17 (16 if partially disabled)
* Uruguay: 18
* Venezuela: 18
* Zambia: 18

Enforcement of driving-related laws

Each country has its own unique way of dividing up the responsibility for enforcing all the laws mentioned above. In nearly all countries, though, the laws controlling driving in practice (like speed limits) are enforced by the police, who are in the best position to identify violations as they occur and to issue citations or make arrests.

Some countries, like Australia, prefer to put everything road-related into a single agency at the state level. Thus, in the Australian state of New South Wales, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is responsible for driver licensing; highway construction, maintenance, and patrol; and many other things. Policing on Australian roads is provided by the relevant state police.

In contrast, in the United States, many U.S. state governments have a Department of Transportation that handles road construction and maintenance (subject to some guidance from the federal Department of Transportation), and a separate Department of Motor Vehicles that handles driver licensing and vehicle registration. There is usually a state police agency (called the Highway Patrol or Department of Public Safety) which enforces driving laws on state highways. On local roads, driving laws are enforced by county sheriff's departments or city police departments.

In many jurisdictions, bicycles are legally considered to be vehicles and cyclists are legally classified as drivers. The use of bicycles is rarely subject to licensing. However, some municipalities require permits for bicycles.

External links

* How Cars Work - Some interesting articles about How a Car Works and also How to drive.
* How to drive a car with manual transmission
* Tips For Winter Driving article written by David Maillie
* Guide to Good and Bad UK Roads
* 2Pass.co.uk: Minimum Driving Ages. - [1] and [2].
* Driver Training Today - information for learner drivers and driver trainers
* Driving Instructor Training - Advice on advanced driving techniques

Driving: Encyclopedia BETA

Contents