⚠️All the information below only concerns France.
A driving license is a license that you ca, take any time in your life and the preparation can be done in total autonomy. Here I will present you the advantages of taking the code as soon as possible, the opportunities it offers and some advice.
First of all, why take your license early?
Take advantage of the years when you don't have exams to work on your code. I'm in 10th grade and I don't have any national test at the end of the year, that's why I decided to take the code. That being said, if you are junior or senior, you can take it just as well, it's not a lot of work either. It's just that I find it more pleasant to take it without the stress of another exam. You can take the code from 15 years old if you want to practice accompanied driving or 17 if you want to take the license directly after or do supervised driving.
The opportunities:
As mentioned above, there are two ways to get your license:
- Accompanied driving:
What?
This is a license that will let you drive only if you're accompanied by an adult who has a driving license. It is a good way to drive if you're between 15 and 18.
When?
There is an age limit: you should pass it only if you're between 15 years old and 18 years old - it's the only time when accompanied driving is actually more interesting than supervised driving (see below).
How?
You have to pass your driving code (theoretical part of driving, with a test on all the signs, rules etc), then follow at least 20 hours of driving lessons with a specialized instructor. When the instructor considers your driving to be correct, you can start accompanied driving, i.e. driving with an adult who has had a driving license for more than 5 years. After 1500 km, you have to come back to the driving centre to check your level. Then you have to drive another 1500km (1500 + 1500 = 3000km in total) and take another course with your instructor to validate your accompanied driving.
Once you are prepared and done with all of that, you can take your license only if you're at least 17.
You'll have to wait until you're 18 before driving on your own ;-;.
- Supervised driving:
What?
It is basically a license if you want to drive with an adult but without all the 3000km and stuff the accompanied license requires.
When? The second formula is for people over 18 years old who have not yet passed their driving test or have failed. This is why it is more interesting once you're 18, you get to skip a lot of kilometres of driving.
How?
You must pass the driving code, have taken at least 20 hours of driving lessons and have received a certificate authorizing you to do supervised driving (provided by your instructor).
Some tips:
I have been working on code since about December 2021 thanks to an app. I use "en voiture Simone", which helps you learn the code and is completely free to use. There are many other apps to help you, like Ornikar (15euros/year), etc. Sadly, I'm being paid by neither app :-:
I review 15-20mn per day, reading the courses, doing series, etc... This app is really useful as it is regularly updated - I learnt some very interesting facts I wasn't even aware of (like the types of lighthouses! There are at least 4 different ones and THEIR USE VARIES ACCORDING TO THE SLIGHTEST WEATHER DIFFERENCE!!)
To pass the code, I haven't yet taken the step of registering but you just have to go to a driving school - else the apps help you register.
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