Driving in Florida? Canadians need an international permit

[baldercash]

just wondering....are Quebec driver's licenses bilingual?

 

No, National Post had an article with a Quebec Lic, French only.

Why would they be bilingual, that is for the rest of Canada.

[Maryandi]

What's the big deal here ??? We got an International Drivers License when we drove all over Canada and it was checked to see if we had one.!!

 

We got ours at our local AAA office . Gee, it took about 10 minutes.

 

I love Canadians and count many as my friends - no need to get so 'hyper' over a little thing that your country has been requiring from others.

 

Come on down and have fun - When we Come on up - we do, too:)

[tiggerrr]

What's the big deal here ??? We got an International Drivers License when we drove all over Canada and it was checked to see if we had one.!!

 

We got ours at our local AAA office . Gee, it took about 10 minutes.

 

I love Canadians and count many as my friends - no need to get so 'hyper' over a little thing that your country has been requiring from others.

 

Come on down and have fun - When we Come on up - we do, too:)

 

Who checked to see if you had one? Canada does not require holders of a US driver's license to also carry an IDP, so this is not at all a reciprocation.

 

And that's why it's a bit of a hyper reaction. A single state has overstepped the authority of the treaty signed by the US federal government and created a storm of uncertainty.

[Maryandi]

Well, Tigger -It was the border patrol agent at the crossing into Canada from Idaho who checked it. What does it matter who checked it ?

 

Just get one and don't worry about it.

 

We didn't worry about overstepping and all that.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I'm wondering why only Florida?? Why not New York or Michigan or any of the other border states? :mad::mad: This is beyond dumb.

 

Because the other states aren't that dumb. (Each state sets its own traffic laws, for the most part).

 

As for difficulty reading them, Florida is one of the most bilingual states in the U.S. (Along with Texas and California)

[Canuckleheadd]

Well, Tigger -It was the border patrol agent at the crossing into Canada from Idaho who checked it. What does it matter who checked it ?

 

Just get one and don't worry about it.

 

We didn't worry about overstepping and all that.

 

 

You do NOT need an IDP if you're traveling in Canada on a US driver's license, sheesh!

 

 

Because the other states aren't that dumb. (Each state sets its own traffic laws, for the most part).

 

As for difficulty reading them, Florida is one of the most bilingual states in the U.S. (Along with Texas and California)

 

I can see Arizona doing this next. Can you imagine Sheriff Joe Arpaio running around the state looking for cars with Canadian license plates to stop and ask them for their IDP's... oh dear, less funny when it could actually happen...:eek:

[BoPippy]

If is is the law and the thousands of Canadians in Florida now get into an accident their Canadian insurance would be null and void or big lawsuits.

[Steelers36]

No, National Post had an article with a Quebec Lic, French only.

Why would they be bilingual, that is for the rest of Canada.

 

Maybe it's because of all the Quebeckers that head down especially to the southeast coast that got the legislators into action. LOL

 

Naturally, Quebec doesn't put a word of English on its licenses, but of course in Ontario they dutifully put on the French. Not to get too political here, but if you're "Anglais" forget about any language rights in "La Belle Province", but we bend over backwards to supply French outside Quebec where the English dominate.

 

Our Canadian "Two Solitudes" will carry on forever. I think it would be funny if Florida amends its law to require IDL's for anyone with a non-English DL. That would be a good joke on Quebec.

 

Meanwhile - relax - nothing has changed. Your existing DL is good to go.

[Steelers36]

If is is the law and the thousands of Canadians in Florida now get into an accident their Canadian insurance would be null and void or big lawsuits.

 

Whatever gave you that idea?

[A&L_Ont]

The law has been stopped. I read about it on CBC. Wonderful work by the FL government in bringing such idiotic law.

[ashhill]

Actually you don't purchase the international permit in FL, you have to purchase where your license is from. For any Snowbirds the requirement is to obtain one through the mail. My initial thought was that it was a money grab, but the explanation I saw in the news was that the police have trouble deciphering foreign drivers licenses. I really hope that the law is amended soon. It makes me think twice about FL for a long weekend away just due to the hassle.

How will the decipher foreign IDP`s if the are not in English?

[ONT-CA]

Well, Tigger -It was the border patrol agent at the crossing into Canada from Idaho who checked it. What does it matter who checked it ?

 

Just get one and don't worry about it.

 

We didn't worry about overstepping and all that.

 

Perhaps someone should make a personal video on this subject...

[Colo Cruiser]

Foreign visitors can drive in Florida with their licenses from home — for now

By Ina Paiva Cordle and Hannah Sampson The Miami Herald

 

02/15/2013

 

By Ina Paiva Cordle and Hannah Sampson

icordle@MiamiHerald.com

A new law requiring foreign visitors to have international driving permits to drive in Florida will not be enforced because it violates an international treaty, highway safety officials said Friday.

During the 2012 legislative session, the Florida Legislature amended the law, requiring foreign visitors to have an international driving permit — usually priced $15-$25 — to drive lawfully in Florida. Foreign drivers without the permit translating their license information into English and nine other languages could have been arrested for driving without a license.

Though the law went into effect Jan. 1, 2013, it did not get widespread attention until foreign journalists started asking questions earlier this week. The story quickly spread in Canada, prompting worried calls and lines at some offices of the Canadian Automobile Association. “Honestly, some days I just shake my head at the insanity around us,” wrote Jim Byers, the Toronto Star’s travel editor, on his blog. “For a state so dependent on tourism, this is unbelievably stupid.”

Late Thursday, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said the requirement may violate the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. International treaties sign by the U.S. take precedence over state laws, the department said, and ruled that the Florida Highway Patrol would hold off enforcing violations until the law was clarified, according to a statement.

Visit Florida was concerned that the law could have impacted visitors and deterred tourists, said spokeswoman Kathy Torian. In 2011, about 12.6 million foreigners visited Florida, according to the agency. “We’re just relieved that this was acted on so quickly as it came to the attention of state officials,” Torian said. “So visitors, especially from the U.K. and Canada, as they come on their spring breaks next week, will have no concerns as far as this is related.”

Nicki Grossman, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the organization has fielded about 100 calls and the same number of emails since the law was publicized. She found out about it from a Canadian reporter Wednesday night.

“Clearly we would have challenged it; we would have talked to the legislators; we would have done what we needed to do to make the provisions more acceptable to our visitors,” she said. “You pass something like this, and a million dollars isn’t going to resolve the kinds of issues that were created in 24 hours yesterday, the unbelievable negative attention on the state of Florida in Canada.”

Last year, more than 950,000 Canadians visited Broward and spent nearly a billion dollars, Grossman said. In 2011, the last full year for which figures are available, 3.3 million people visited the state from Canada, Florida’s top international market. Of the nearly 7 million foreign visitors who came to Miami-Dade in 2011, 500,000 were from Canada.

“You can’t mess with Canada,” Grossman said.

Though the new law also would have affected car rentals, rental car companies may not have even been aware the law had changed six weeks ago.

Hertz, for example, has not been requiring foreign renters to have international driving permits, said spokeswoman Paula Rivera. So the suspension makes no difference.

“It didn’t have an effect upon us,” she said Friday.

Visitors who drive in Florida still must have a valid license from another U.S. state or territory or from their country of residence.

Harry Oberman, a retired telecommunications professional from Quebec who spends much of the winter in South Florida, said he worries that the law might still be enforced as long as it’s on the books. It’s a concern being expressed by fellow Canadians, he said in an interview from Hallandale Beach. A news story from a publication in Canada alerted him to the law this week.

“I was worried, the truth be said,” Oberman said. “Because I’m a very lawful guy.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/15/3237171/foreign-visitors-can-drive-in.html#storylink=cpy

[Canuckleheadd]

“You can’t mess with Canada,” Grossman said.

 

THAT'S RIGHT, and don't you forget it!!!:D:cool: