OT - Drivers License awarded by Prior Learning Assessment

Hello, this is off topic, but nonetheless I found a Driver's license "diploma mill" of sorts....it's kind of funny actually. As there was a recent discussion on one of the fake Concordia colleges, I just thought I check out their site and along comes this advertisment within their FAQ section:

"Drivelegal.Com now offers legal drivers licenses to qualified adults. Without tests,
without exams. Your drivers license will be based on your experience and valid for
ten years in every U.S. state and in most countries around the world, even if your
current license is revoked."

I think a lot of drivers here in Paris got their license that way......

 

Fascinating, Ranjit. I'd often wondered why diploma mills didn't have strong non-indemnification statements. Drive legal has quite a remarkable one, of which a tiny bit is reproduced below. So even if they are told they are illegal, they claim no responsibility. More than a few currently-operating fake schools presumably adopt that position, even if they don't state it.
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DRIVELEGAL.COM provides all SERVICES "as is," with no warranties whatsoever. All express warranties and all implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement of proprietary rights are hereby disclaimed to the fullest extent permitted by law. In no event shall DRIVELEGAL.COM be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special and exemplary damages, or any damages whatsoever, arising from the use (or inability to use) or performance of this web site or SERVICES provided or offered by any means, even if DRIVELEGAL.COM has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
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Customers are also advised that they may not reveal the name of anyone connected with DriveLegal. Does Tim Thorn of SharpThorn Internet Solutions in California really think that no one will thus learn who he is?

 

A driver's license mill offerings DL's from an offshore driver's license haven. Apparently the Bahama in this case. PTShamrock (a Trinity C&U operator) and Privacy Consultants (also associated with the same people I believe) operate the same kind of operation.

I'd be very interested to hear Bruce's opinion of this, and whether as a Massachusetts police officer he would accept one of these "international driver's licenses" if it were shoved in his face. And particularly how he would respond if he ran the guys name and got back that his MA license had been suspended.

I was just skimming through the California Vehicle Code, and I didn't see any reference to recognition of "International Driver's Licenses".

It seems that foreign residents, both from foreign nations and American states foreign to California, must have a valid driver's license in their state of residence in order to drive in California. If they reside in a jurisdiction where drivers licenses are not required, they must obtain a California license within 30 days. And the Code is pretty explicit about what residency means (it doesn't mean a fake address or a mail drop in the Bahamas).

12504 is a lengthy section dealing with licensed out of state drivers between 16 and 18.

The rest of 12505 deals with minor drivers and drivers of commercial vehicles.

 

Glad you asked Bill. I have indeed been handed an "International Driver's License" more than once. On one of the first few pages, there is a list of which countries accept this "document". The United States is not one of them.

Besides that, in 99% of the cases where a driver gives me one of these, his/her right to operate in the state is either suspended or revoked. That means they screwed up enough to get their state license yanked, then went out and got the "International License". Cute, but no cigar.

In short, an "International Driver's License" in the United States has all the value of a roll of Charmin.

Bruce

 

Hay, I resent that remark. Charmin is the brand I use. Think of it this way. If you're sitting there thinking and notice that instead of a roll of Charmin there's just an empty cardboard spool, HOW much value would you then place on a good ol' roll of Charmin?

 

This might be even scarier: where I live, a high school student can now take his high school driver's training certificate to the license bureau, flash it around a little bit, and get a license without a written or road test. Here's the scary part: these student's may never have driven on an actual roadway (except to get beer). The high schools now only use closed courses for the in-car training, I presume because of fear of lawyers.

 

Point well taken Bill!

Bruce

 

In such dire circumstances, a Concordia C&U diploma might actually acquire some utility.

------------------
Bill Gossett

 

Ah yes, an interesting exception to using a degree mill diploma being like a timebomb. Alas even the wonderful timebomb analogy has apparently crumbled under such intense pressure.

 

Okay, let me make totally clear my position before this thread gets out of hand.

If you're in the United States and have an "International Driver's License", you might as well wipe your ass with it, because that's the worth it carries in the United States.

Any questions?


Bruce

 

Bruce, I regret that´s not true.

When I studied in CA, my German drivers license AND my international one, which I specially got for the US stay, were recognised by the California police, which we got told by a police officer during our first meeting night at the students´ dormatories...

Greets,

T.

 

Interesting.

In this part of the world, it's just the opposite ....

Now why doesn't that surprise me ... ?

Cheers,

Neil

... who also holds a UAE driving licence valid until 2010.

 

I already posted the relevant California Vehicle Code sections. There is no reference to 'international driver's licenses' in California state law.

Non-residents who intend to drive on California highways are required to have a valid driver's license issued by the state in which they normally reside. You were permitted to drive because you were a German resident in possession of a valid German driver's license.

If you had not been licensed to drive at home, having an 'international driver's license' would not be sufficient to permit you to drive in California.

If the 'international driver's license' contains English translations of what is written in German on your German license, I can see why a police officer might suggest that you hand over both when stopped. I suppose that most American officers wouldn't have a clue if presented with a license in Chinese, Arabic or Hindi. They couldn't be sure that it even was a driver's license.

But nevertheless, it would be the fact that the driver was licensed to drive at home that permitted them to drive while a visitor in California. If they were not licensed to drive at home, and particularly if their home was California, possessing an 'international driver's license' would not permit them to drive in California.

 

Well I think most European countries have agreements to accept American Drivers licenses provided their licenses are accepted in the US. In Denmark I just gave them my Texas license and got a Danish one in exchange. In Denmark you get your license once- no renewal until your 70! That's right I have a license I do not have to renew for another 34 years. In the US I can give them my Danish and get an American in the state I want to live. That's the agreement.

The International Drivers license only works if you have a "regionally accredited" license. It means nothing on it's own.

Jim

 

Your German license would give you the right to operate for a limited time. In MA it's 60 days, I don't know about other states. As Bill stated, the International License is not valid. If you look on one of the first few pages, there is a list of which countries accept it. The United States is not one of them. I've charged several people for unlicensed operation when they have nothing but the International License, and all have been found guilty.

Bruce