I'm going through the driver's licencing process here in Ontario, and it's a fair bit more complicated.

You start off by taking a laws, signs etc. test and you get your G1 licence. (You can retake the test for $10, if you fail 4 times in a row they make you come back another day). You must be 16 years or older to get your licence.

To graduate to the G2 licence, you must either wait 1 year or take driving lessons and become qualified in 8 months instead. Getting your G2 involves a quick road test (which I took yesterday and passed first try! :)).

The next step up is your G licence, and that's your regular licence with no restrictions. Another bigger road test is required for this one, and you MUST wait 1 year after getting your G2.

A few other notes of interest:
-G1 has a lot of restrictions (must have a driver with 4 years of G driving in the passenger seat, not out between 12 and 5 AM, no freeways, etc.), while most restrictions are lifted when you get your G2.
-I think there's also a restriction about the number of non-family members you're allowed to have in the car with you. If not, there's political movement to establish that after an accident where 5 teenagers died.

For drinking (liquor, of course) I think it's 21. You need to be 19 to buy cigarettes, but I'm not sure if smoking them is illegal or not under that age. Providing them to a minor is a big offence here. Casinos are also 19+.

No, the drinking age is actually 19 here.
And I don't think smoking under the age of 19 is illegal, there are always tons of high school kids smoking outside.
You just can't buy them, which is stupid because they'll just find a way to get smokes anyways.
:P

x_Hopeless_Deviate_x wrote:

And I don't think smoking under the age of 19 is illegal, there are always tons of high school kids smoking outside.
You just can't buy them, which is stupid because they'll just find a way to get smokes anyways.
:P

wow that is pretty dumb. and really makes no sense.

Definitely, some laws here are pretty pathetic.
The drinking age is 19, but you can be 18 and still serve alcohol?
Yeah, that makes a LOT of sense.

There is this really stupid rule where I live that says that after the age of 16 you can own, and carry, alchohol. But you can't drink it until you're eighteen. So pointless.

Haha yeah that is pointless!

Actually, it's more mean! They tease us!

In Washington driving laws are:

-you can get your permit when you're 15:
-you have to have an adult with 5>years of
experience in the car with you
-you cannot have people in the car who aren't
relatives

-you can get your license when you're 16 if you've taken
driver's education first, had your permit for 6
months, and pass both written and driving tests.

-you can get your license without taking driver's ed. if you're 18 or older.


In Idaho:

-you can get your license when you're 15 if you've taken driver's ed.
-you can't have over 3 people in the car with you.

-if you haven't taken driver's ed. you can get your
license when you're 17 if you pass written and
driven tests.


In both states the drinking age is 21, and the age to buy and smoke ciggarettes is 18.

As far as I know in Pennsylvania to get your permit you need to be 16 and you can only drive if there is a parent in the passenger seat. To get your license you must wait 6 months after getting your permit, and you need to have drive about 50 hours (not exactly sure)

drinking age here is 21.