Driving

In 1899, an automobile was driven to the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, for the first time

The world's first long-distance road trip by automobile was in August 1888 when Bertha Benz, wife of Benz Patent-Motorwagen inventor Karl Benz, drove 66 mi (106 km) Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, and returned, in the third experimental Benz motor car, which had a maximum speed of 10 mph (16 km/h), with her two teenage sons Richard and Eugen but without the consent and knowledge of her husband.[2][3][4] She had said she wanted to visit her mother, but also intended to generate publicity for her husband's invention, which had only been taken on short test drives before.[5]

In 1899, F. O. Stanley and his wife, Flora, drove their Stanley Steamer automobile, sometimes called a locomobile, to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire in the United States to generate publicity for their automobile.[6] The 7.6-mile (12.2 km) journey took over two hours (not counting time to add more water); the descent was accomplished by putting the engine in low gear and much braking.[6]

Driving a Ferrari F430

A driver must have physical skills to be able to control direction, acceleration, and deceleration. For motor vehicles, the detailed tasks include: [8]

• Proper hand placement and seating position
• Starting the vehicle's engine with the starting system
• Setting the transmission to the correct gear
• Depressing the pedals with one's feet to accelerate, slow and stop the vehicle and
  • If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission, to modulate the clutch
• Steering the vehicle's direction with the steering wheel
• Applying brake pressure to slow or stop the vehicle
• Operating other important ancillary devices such as the indicators, headlights, parking brake and windshield wipers
• Speed and Skid control

Avoiding or successfully handling an emergency driving situation can involve the following skills:[9]

• Observing the environment for road signs, driving conditions, and hazards
• Awareness of surroundings, especially in heavy and city traffic
• Making good and quick decisions based on factors such as road and traffic conditions
• Evasive maneuvering
• Understanding vehicle dynamics
• Left- and right-hand traffic

Driver with a cell phone

Distractions can compromise a driver's mental skills. One study on the subject of mobile phones and driving safety concluded that, after controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, drivers talking on a phone exhibited greater impairment than drivers who were suffering from alcohol intoxication.[10] In the US "During daylight hours, approximately 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving according to the publication on the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. Another survey indicated that music could adversely affect a driver's concentration."[11][12][13]

Seizure disorders and Alzheimer's disease are among the leading medical causes of mental impairment among drivers in the United States and Europe.[14] Whether or not physicians should be allowed, or even required, to report such conditions to state authorities, remains highly controversial.[14]

Winter driving can pose serious hazards in countries with colder climates. Highway 11 in Ontario, Canada

Safety issues in driving include:

• Driving in poor road conditions and low visibility
• Texting while driving
• Speeding
• Drug–impaired driving and driving under the influence
• Distracted driving
• Sleep-deprived driving
• Reckless driving and street racing

Geneva convention requires drivers to be 18 years old.

Vienna convention requires additional skills for drivers.

Driver's license from Spain. Spanish driving licenses use a point system

The rules of the road, driver licensing and vehicle registration schemes vary considerably between jurisdictions, as do laws imposing criminal responsibility for negligent driving, vehicle safety inspections and compulsory insurance. Most countries also have differing laws against driving while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Aggressive driving and road rage have become problems for drivers in some areas.

Some countries require annual renewal of the driver's license. This may require getting through another driving test or vision screening test to get recertified.[16] Also, some countries use a points system for the driver's license. Both techniques (annual renewal with tests, points system) may or may not improve road safety compared to when the driver is not continuously or annually evaluated.[17]

Car ownership does not require a driver's license at all. As such, even with a withdrawn driver's license, former drivers are still legally allowed to possess a car and thus have access to it. In the USA, between 1993 and 1997 13,8% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes had no driver's license.[18]

In some countries (such as the UK), the car itself needs have a certificate that proves the vehicle is safe and roadworthy. Also, it needs to have a minimum of third party insurance.[19]

Motorists are almost universally required to take lessons with an approved instructor and to pass a driving test before being granted a license. Almost all countries allow all adults with good vision and health to apply to take a driving test and, if successful, to drive on public roads.

In many countries, even after passing one's driving test, new motorists are initially subject to special restrictions. For example, in Australia, novice drivers are required to carry "P" ("provisional") plates;,[20] in New Zealand it is called restricted (R)[21] both are subject to alcohol limits and other restrictions for the first two years of driving. Many U.S. states now issue graduated drivers' licenses to novice minors. Typically, newly licensed minors may not drive or operate a motorized vehicle at night or with a passenger other than family members. The duration of the restriction varies from six months to until the driver is 18 years old. This is due to the mental aptitude of a young or inexperienced driver not being fully developed.[22]

A few countries banned women driving in the past. In Oman, women were not allowed to drive until 1970.[23] In Saudi Arabia, women were not issued driving licenses until 2018. Saudi women had periodically staged driving protests against these restrictions and in September 2017, the Saudi government agreed to lift the ban, which went into effect in June 2018.[24]