Credit Card style driving licence

spideog7

Seeing as almost every other country in Europe, that had the same big old standardised pink licences we have, has moved to the new EU standard credit card style licence I was wondering when we were going to follow suit? Is there any word of it happening any time soon? This big awkward thing is a joke, I've only had it a little over a year and I'm already sick of carting it around

pcardin

Just be patient and optimistic! Broadband also came in Ireland 20 years later than for the rest of the World.

Stephen

I'm in the US at the moment and presenting that yoke as ID in bars here is a huge pain in the hole. Most of them think its some kind of bull5hit fake. Also, like the previous poster, I'm sick of carrying the fecking too-big-for-a-wallet thing around.

MarkR

It's fairly manky all right. I handed it into a car rental place in the states. Guy held it like it was a used snot rag.

ArseBurger

pcardin wrote: »

Just be patient and optimistic! Broadband also came in Ireland 20 years later than for the rest of the World.

No it didn't. Ireland had fully functional ADSL in the mid to late 90's. The regulator held it up...

DeadSkin

MarkR wrote: »

It's fairly manky all right. I handed it into a car rental place in the states. Guy held it like it was a used snot rag.

Ha! I had the same experience a few years ago, they looked at the license, then looked up at me. I just shrugged the shoulders and they sniggered.

Gregor Samsa

There's a plan for new EU wide driver licences to be issued in all member states in 2012. States have until 2032 to replace all current national licences. These EU licences will be credit card sized, so it wouldn't make much sense for us to introduce a new licence format, when the whole thing is changing soon anyway.

More info:

http://www.eubusiness.com/Transport/060327115956.g6esqpu4

Sleipnir

I bought a three year license when mine was up for renewal a few years ago and I got the 3 year one cos they were talking about the credit card style licenses replacing them at the time.
That license expired around 2 years ago and this time, I got the 10 year one.
I'm pretty confident it won't be the last one I get either.

This government can't do even the simplest tasks.

Sleipnir

phutyle wrote: »

There's a plan for new EU wide driver licences to be issued in all member states in 2012. States have until 2032 to replace all current national licences. These EU licences will be credit card sized, so it wouldn't make much sense for us to introduce a new licence format, when the whole thing is changing soon anyway.

More info:

http://www.eubusiness.com/Transport/060327115956.g6esqpu4

Even that article is two years old though!

galwaytt

pcardin wrote: »

Just be patient and optimistic! Broadband also came in Ireland 20 years later than for the rest of the World.

ArseBurger wrote: »

No it didn't. Ireland had fully functional ADSL in the mid to late 90's. The regulator held it up...

...I think ye're wrong: you're assuming we have it now. We have something alright, but to paraphrase Star Trek: "It's Broadband Jim, but not as we know it......."

Gregor Samsa

Sleipnir wrote: »

Even that article is two years old though!

Um, yeah, the article was written in 2006, because 2006 was when the Directive (2006/126/EEC) was adopted. And as an adopted and published Directive, Ireland has a legal commitment to implement it. It's not like the article states that the EU licences were going to be introduced that year. It lays out a specific timeline for the introduction of national laws to allow implementation of the scheme.

Search the web yourself for more information. This measure is pretty much common knowledge.

A bit more info, for those who are googlephobic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_driving_licence#New_European_driving_licence_as_from_2013

channelsurfer

I raised this query with the RSA a couple of months ago. got an excellent reply from the head of Driver testing stating that they plan to test it in 2009 but full implementation will not be until 2011...... again that was before An bord snip came about.

Berty

Who is going to pay for the focus group that is going to be needed to be set up to examine the neccesity of the license itself.

They will cost usually around 4million and then tell us there is no money for the system.

There is no fvcking money because we had to pay you idiots to sit around drinking coffee for 8 months to tell us there isnt.

FFS Its hardly difficult. Buy cards, buy some printers make cards and employ some morons to operate the piss poor system to adminster it.

stereo_steve

Stephen wrote: »

I'm in the US at the moment and presenting that yoke as ID in bars here is a huge pain in the hole. Most of them think its some kind of bull5hit fake. Also, like the previous poster, I'm sick of carrying the fecking too-big-for-a-wallet thing around.

Go down to the DMV with your social security card and passport and get a state ID. Its like $10 or something

spideog7

Stephen wrote: »

I'm in the US at the moment and presenting that yoke as ID in bars here is a huge pain in the hole.

Same, that's actually why I brought it up.
It's a great conversation starter... "Hey look at what my country gives me as a drivers licence... no Ireland is not as backward as you think it is"

stereo_steve wrote: »

Go down to the DMV with your social security card and passport and get a state ID. Its like $10 or something

Hadn't heard about this but I know that in order to get a drivers licence your visa needs to be valid for a year from when you apply.
EDIT: I checked and you're right I can get one... thanks.

phutyle wrote: »

...2006 was when the Directive (2006/126/EEC) was adopted. And as an adopted and published Directive, Ireland has a legal commitment to implement it.

spideog7 wrote: »

Seeing as almost every other country in Europe... has moved to the new EU standard credit card style licence

That's the one I was refering too, some of my French and German friends have them and I think the French had both actually, depending on how recently they got it.

R.O.R

spideog7 wrote: »

Same, that's actually why I brought it up.
It's a great conversation starter... "Hey look at what my country gives me as a drivers licence... no Ireland is not as backward as you think it is"

You think the Irish one is bad - you should see my 15 year old UK licence. It's an A4 sheet that's been folded about 6 times and carried around in my wallet all the time. It's dog eared on all sides and the folds are now held together with sellotape, and doesn't have a picture on it at all.

It's also still valid for another 37 years.

mickdw

One problem I have with the licence is not the size of it etc but the fact that we must carry it with us now. I accept this is a good idea from road safety point of view however it creates a problem if one were to lose the wallet. A driving licence will allow people to do everything required to steal your identity.
Now moving to a credit card type thing wont solve this unless we do like the uk and have the credit card type part of the licence and then an additional part which can be kept safely. With this system, at least if you lose it, nobody can steal your identity with it.

MagicMarker

I have a wallet with a section for the irish licence that folds out. Keeps the licence pristine and you wouldn't even know it's there.

I also have a Canadian licence which is all nice and creditcardy.

C.D.

mickdw wrote: »

One problem I have with the licence is not the size of it etc but the fact that we must carry it with us now. I accept this is a good idea from road safety point of view however it creates a problem if one were to lose the wallet. A driving licence will allow people to do everything required to steal your identity.
Now moving to a credit card type thing wont solve this unless we do like the uk and have the credit card type part of the licence and then an additional part which can be kept safely. With this system, at least if you lose it, nobody can steal your identity with it.

I just leave mine (somewhat) hidden but easily accessible (if you know where it is) in my car. Works perfectly seeing as 99% of the time I only drive my car.

Run_to_da_hills

These wonderful new electronic Credit Card license will come with a nasty sting, just be glad and put up with the current one while we have them

robtri

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

These wonderful new electronic Credit Card license will come with a nasty sting, just be glad and put up with the current one while we have them

ehhh the credit card size ones are not electronic, the UK and the USA are just bits of plastic with print on them, no electronics or conspiracies here

Gregor Samsa

The EU scheme has optional plans for a chip in them.

To some, this of course means the Mark of the Beast, and heralds the Apocalypse.

To others, it means that more data can be packed into a smaller space without cluttering up the printed card (information in multiple languages/alphabets, for instance), and not much else.

McGrath5

The current drivers licence we have is a horrible thing. I feel ashamed when I have to show it for renting a car while away on holidays. Once I was even asked did I get it from the back of Corn Flake's box