Driving Licences

[stanmapstone]

Compulsory testing was introduced in 1934.

Stan

[lordb]

Hi Scouseboy, about the 20's

[Brie]

Licences existed before compulsory testing though but I'm not sure who issued them. Somewhere we have my grandfather's which was issued c1905.

Brie

[KGarrad]

First introduced by the Motor Car Act, 1903.
Cost was 5/- (5 shillings), which is 25p today.

They were issued by the County Council or County Borough Council, and were sulphur-yellow in colour.

But I'm sure we have all heard of stories of people who learned to drive "during the war" and never officially obtained a licence!

[eadaoin]

I've had a licence for over 50 years, and never did a test.
Ireland only brought in driver testing in 1965/66, though you had to buy a licence to be legal.
 . . my brother just about squeezed in by buying a motorbike licence aged 16!

[stanmapstone]

Driver licences were first introduced in Britain by the Motor Car Act, 1903, purely as a means of identifying vehicles and their drivers, however there was no test required, as I posted compulsory testing was introduced in 1934.

Stan

[smudwhisk]

But I'm sure we have all heard of stories of people who learned to drive "during the war" and never officially obtained a licence!

My great uncle, who was born in 1916, did.   It was well known in the family that he never sat a test and he only stopped driving about five years before his death in 2013.

[lordb]

Thank you all for your responses

Byron

[MonicaL]

Hi there

Just for background (...and with a bias towards Scotland  ) some notes on history www.scan.org.uk/knowledgebase/topics/vehicleregistration.htm

Monica 

Added: Some early transcripts from Dundee area here www.fdca.org.uk/Vehicle_Registrations.html Not sure if all areas followed this type of format.