Driving licence in Cerman

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In Cerman, a driving licence is a document required to operate any motor-driven vehicle on public roads. Cerman operates two parallel driving licensing schemes, which differ significantly in their requirements, validity and international recognition.

The Terminian Certificate of Driver Competency (CDC) licence is administered on the national level, and is available to drivers aged from between 14-16 Pashaist years in East Terminia, Terminia Minor and Utol. These certificates are issued by respective national traffic authorities, and entitle drivers to operate cars, mopeds and motorcycles across both Cerman and Amerhan. This style of licence is held by around three-quarters of drivers in Cerman, and takes the form of a paper certificate that does not need to be renewed.

The Cermani Driving Licence, commonly known as the 'EkU-style' licence is federally administered to be compliant with the Ekuosian Union's licensing format. This licence has more rigorous testing and renewal requirements, can be used as proof of identity, and is much more widely recognised internationally than the CDC. Since its introduction in 2009, around a quarter of Cermani drivers have acquired an EkU-style licence. It is mandated for drivers of HGVs, buses, and taxis.

Certificate of Driver Competency

The CDC is divided into two entitlements, entitlement for moped and motorcycle (Category 2) and entitlement for car (Category 4). In East Terminia, these are granted separately, whereas they are generally granted together in Utol and Terminia Minor. A driver is generally expected to keep the CDC from the nation where they originally were licenced, and exchanges happen only in exceptional circumstances.

A CDC issued in Cerman is valid for driving indefinitely in Amerhan, Cerman the Kaisen and the Terminian Far West. Internationally, holders of Terminian CDCs are usually permitted to drive on a temporary basis, however they are often required to take a local driving test if they become permanently resident abroad. Certain countries have mutual recognition agreements with Cerman, including Qonklaks, Balakia and Bomhan, allowing CDCs to be freely exchanged for local driving licences. Some countries such as Awating recognise CDCs issued in West and East Terminia, but not in Terminia Minor or Utol.

The process of acquiring a Certificate of Driver Competency varies between nations. Generally, drivers are expected to complete some form of mandatory theoretical instruction, and a series of manoeuvres on a closed circuit.

East Terminia

Students can attend the four-hour mandatory Driving Instruction course once they have reached their 16th Pashaist birthday. This course includes 3 hours of theoretical lessons, and one hour of maneouvring lessons on a closed course. The practical section of the course must be completed in the student's own car or light motorcycle.

After completing the course, drivers can drive unsupervised between 6am until 6pm, on roads with a speed limit of 20 km/d (80kmh, 50mph) or below. Motorcycles are limited to 200cc engines. Drivers may also drive without restrictions when accompanied (in the passenger seat, or in a nearby motorcycle) by an adult who has had a full certificate for at least 5 years.

One Pashaist year following completion of the Driving Instruction course, the driver is issued with a full CDC, entitling them to drive car and trailer combinations with a combined weight below 4 tonnes, or heavy motorcycles. Students holding a car-only or motorcycle-only CDC may expand their entitlement to include both vehicle types, by completing only the one-hour manoeuvring course in the appropriate vehicle.

Terminia Minor

Drivers on Terminia Minor may apply for a Provisional CDC on their 15th Pashaist birthday. This entitles them to drive without restrictions, as long as they are accompanied by a driver who has held a Full CDC for a minimum of 3 years. After attending three mandatory theory lessons, and three maneouvring lessons with a registered Traffic School, they may apply for a Full CDC once they turn 16, which entitles them to drive both cars and motorcycles (no matter which vehicle their lessons were taken in).

Utol

Utol issues full CDCs to any resident who has turned 14 Pashaist years, giving them full motorcycle and car entitlement with no regulation. Legally, drivers are required to attend five hours of driving lessons, including at least two hours in off-road and muddy conditions, however this requirement has very little oversight and is rarely fulfilled. For this reason, CDCs issued in Utol are not recognised in the rest of Cerman or Amerhan until the driver has turned 16.

West Terminia

West Terminia formerly operated a CDC scheme that was nearly identical to that used in East Terminia. However, since 2019 the West Terminian Traffic Authority no longer issues CDCs, and new drivers are now required to obtain an EkU-style licence. CDCs issued by West Terminia prior to 2019 continue to be valid.

Cermani Driving Licence

Cermani driving licence
Cermani driving licence.png
Example of a driving licence issued in Cerman.
Issued byCerman
Type of documentDriving licence
PurposeAuthorisation
Expiration10 Iovist years

The Cermani Driving Licence scheme was introduced in 2009 by the Federal Government, to bring driving licencing standards in line with the Ekuosian Union. Unlike the CDC, the Cermani Driving Licence is issued to Cermani residents directly by the federal Vizierate for Transport.

A Cermani Driving Licence is valid and freely exchangeable throughout the EkU, and is fully recognised by a large number of countries outside of Ekuosia. The licence follows the same vehicle categorisation scheme as the rest of the Ekuosian Union, and is valid for 10 years before it has to be renewed. The licence takes the form of a biometric identity card, and holders of the licence may use it instead of a National ID for official purposes.

The minimum age to qualify for an EkU-style licence is 18 Iovist years. West Terminia is the only nation to issue a 'Provisional' photocard licence; in the rest of Cerman, young drivers are obliged to obtain their CDC first before upgrading to an EkU-style licence once they fulfill the age requirement.

Testing

To obtain a Cermani Driving Licence, drivers must score a minimum of 65 out of 80 on a theoretical test, attend a course on road safety, successfully navigate a manoeuvring course, and be approved after a practical driving assessment on public roads. The order in which these are done is not fixed, however the final step must be completed within six months of the first. Drivers who already have a CDC licence are exempt from the road safety course and manoeuvring stages.

Phase-in

The EkU-style licence was originally introduced in 2009 solely for professional, HGV, bus and taxi drivers, but was offered to all Cermani residents shortly before Cerman joined the Ekuosian Union in 2013. Negotiations with the Ekuosian Union to allow all CDC holders to exchange their certificates for EkU licences fell through, after the Ekuosian Office for Left-Hand Traffic determined that the quality of driving in Cerman did not meet the standards of other Ekuosian countries.

Since 2017, drivers who have their CDC revoked due to traffic offenses are required to obtain a Cermani Driving Licence.

The Cermani government intends to phase out the CDC in favour of the EkU-style licence by 2029, in an effort to combat Cerman's high traffic fatality rate. Beginning in 2022, drivers with old CDC licences will have limits imposed on their driving, face higher insurance premiums, and be subject to harsher penalties for traffic offenses. The pilot scheme to stop issuing CDCs to new drivers in West Terminia is planned to be replicated across Cerman.

Since driver's tests are currently free of charge for Cermani citizens, the cost to the state to relicence up to 80 million drivers is expected to exceed 65 billion Jikow over 10 years.

See also