On December 31, 1922, France introduced the driving license. This precious sesame has evolved with time and technology, to take the form of a credit card today. The argus offers you a brief retrospective of its history.
In 100 years, the driving license has undergone many changes, whether physical medium, of the passing examination or of its principle of operation. The writing of The argus offers you a retrospective of the history of the most famous of the pink boxes!
The beginnings of driving
The first trace of the driving license dates back to May 30, 1851. A first law relates to the freedom of movement, without however interacting with the rare rolling machines of the time. It was not until August 14, 1893 that thehe prefect of police of Paris, Louis Lépine, establishes the ” certification of ability », obligatory to circulate within the perimeter of the Prefecture. This document is then reserved for men over 21 and issued … by car manufacturers! The Mining Service then has the task of having drivers pass the exam by checking their ability to: know how to start, steer and stop. Candidates should also have some troubleshooting skills. This certificate comes in the face of the sudden increase in the car fleet. At the time, however, there were only 1,700 vehicles in circulation in France!
For the anecdote, it is necessary to wait until 1897 (or 1898 according to the sources), so that a woman wins the precious sesame. This is Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duchess of Uzès. She is also, the following year, the first to be fined for speeding. It was driving at 15 km/h in town instead of the regulation 12 km/h.
The certificate of competence for all!
On March 10, 1899, a decree made it compulsory to hold a certificate of competency for all French drivers, and throughout the country. ” No one may drive a car unless he has a certificate of competency “say the authorities. The document is then issued by the prefect of the candidate’s residence on the favorable opinion of the Department of Mines, which is still in charge of administering the exam.
Among the novelties, drivers now have the obligation to “ pull over to the right “. We also increase the limit speed at 30 km/h in open country (20 km/h in town). In 1917, the first driving schools appeared with the mission of preparing for the driving test, formerly managed by the manufacturers themselves. On May 27, 1921, a decree regulating “ traffic and traffic police “, the beginnings of the Highway Code in a way, comes into force.
Birth of the driving license in 1922
At the start of the 1920s, nearly 300,000 cars were circulating in France. It is then necessary to supervise the traffic and to fix public rules. Barely more than a year later, on December 31, 1922, the certificate of competence became a driving licence. ” This permit can only be issued in the future to candidates who are at least 18 years old. » can we read. It is also the year of creation of different categories to distinguish car drivers and motorcyclists. The possibility of suspending a driver’s license was adopted on April 12, 1927 in order to more severely punish the “drivers” of the XXand century.
The evolutions of the license
The next major changes are listed chronologically below with a short explanation attached:
- 1972 : the National Driving License System (SNPC) is created. It lists all the information relating to driving licenses.
- 1975 : the driving license changes format. It gets bigger and has three flaps
- 1985 : an “F” appears on the cover with the translation of “driver’s license” in several languages
- 1986 : launch of accompanied driving in certain departments.
- 1989 : introduction of the license with points
- July 1, 1992 : The capital increases from 6 to 12 points
- 2004 : implementation of the probationary license for young drivers.
- 2006 : reform of the practical driving test. This goes from 22 to 35 minutes.
2013: a European permit!
January 19, 2013 marks the arrival of the European permit in the format of a credit card. Il Contains microchip and MRZ strip to better fight against fraud. “ All the Member States of the European Union have agreed on the same categories of driving licenses and are harmonizing the rules for obtaining them (age limits, training, etc.). » If you still hold an old-style license, know that it remains valid until January 19, 2033. After this date, it will have to be renewed. A simple administrative formality which will require neither a driving test nor a medical check-up.
TO READ. Driver’s license. A new official site for filing complaints
