Seeking Empowerment regarding the Right to Drive?
Per international rules, you cannot be issued an IDP in the country that you live in. The international driver’s permit must be issued for a country outside of your home country.
See below to shortcut your process in learning about the IDP and your right to drive.
Many of us have come to view traffic cops as little better than armed tax collectors deployed to fleece motorists for the benefit of state/local government. Fixing the system – and restoring a mutually respectful relationship between the average citizen and police will require a change in attitudes and a shift in enforcement that focuses on identifying bad/dangerous drivers and getting them off the road – and leaving everyone else alone. Some steps in the right direction would include:
Cops As Robbers: 5 reasonable steps to fix the broken traffic and insurance system, 6/18/11
Driver's License Alternatives
Your home address is one of the most sensitive pieces of information you have. You don't want uninvited visitors bothering you and your family at home. Even though lots of businesses want to get a hold of your home address for marketing purposes, there are a lot of ways to prevent revealing your home address without paying that extra $1 for your Cheerios. Using a P.O. box or other ghost address will usually cut it when you need to share your home address without disclosing where you and your family actually hang out.
One of the only times that you can't use a ghost address is with a drivers license. A drivers license is an absolute necessity for most people and you can't get one unless you reveal the place where you and your family lay your heads at night. Usually. There is one way to drive legally in the US without having to give away your most sensitive information. Use a foreign drivers license.
Foreign Drivers License Protects Families, 5/30/11
If one Georgia lawmaker has his way, drivers licenses will go the way of the dinosaurs. According to CBS Atlanta, State Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, has filed House Bill 7, calling it the "Right to Travel Act."
In his bill, Franklin states, "Free people have a common law and constitutional right to travel on the roads and highways that are provided by their government for that purpose. Licensing of drivers cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of an inalienable right."
Franklin said a driver's license is a throwback to oppressive times, when agents of the state were demanding papers.
Not licensed to drive? Lawmaker wants it so, 1/31/11
IDP or International Driving Permit
The International Driving Permit (IDP), issued by the Pan American Auto Travel Association (PATA), is valid, as per the Convention on International Road Traffic, signed into international law on September 19, 1949. This is an international treaty that regulates motor traffic, of which the United States became a member of in 1952.
The IDP is an eight page, 5.75" x 3.75" pocket-book, printed in nine different languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Italian, Swedish & Chinese). It has been so widely used and accepted for over 50 years that it is virtually recognized almost everywhere in the world. With this permit you can legally drive in over 200 countries, including the USA:
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT VALID IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES (as of August, 1992): Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros. Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dijibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France (including French overseas territories), French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Granada, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bassau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, (Republic), Kuwait, Krystan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru. Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Russia, St. Christopher Nevis & Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka. Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda. Ukraine, United States of America, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The IDP can also be used to rent cars and trucks, cash checks, show proof of age, get on commercial airlines and cruise ships, and as general ID.
When using this permit you are obligated to follow all the traffic laws of the jurisdiction you are traveling in. However, as you know, some of the laws on the books are not designed for public safety. But, they are mere excuses for the local authorities to check to see if your papers are in order. With the IDP, and officer will generally treat you better because you are not licensed in his jurisdiction and therefore he has less control over you. Even if he were to write you a ticket, the local courts would have no way of enforcing such a citation because you are not a member of their “club”, and this is why, in most cases, officers won’t even bother to issue a citation in the first place - since it’s not enforceable. This can give you a distinct advantage over most “card carrying members”, i.e.: holders of state issued driver’s licenses, the ones with your finger print, social security number, and magnetic strip, and coming soon - your retina scan. None of these things are required when applying for an IDP; your privacy is always upheld.
|
