Self driving on west coast impossible! ;( what do we do!
 

Hi there,

we have a problem and it makes us really upset about it. Is there anyone can help us?

My husband and I are a newly married couple from China and we are going to spend our honeymoon in America. We are planning to take a self-drive trip from San Francisco - Carmel - Route 1 - Los Angelas during May 3rd - May 8th, and everything goes well, get our visa, make the plan, book the airline tickets and hotels... when we start to make a reservation of Car rental, we have encountered a problem. It is a valid driver license required, which must have been licensed for at least one year. My husband got his driver license on Augst, 2014. There are still 3 months to go. That means we can't rent a car by ourself and enjoy the incredible sights on Route 1. And we alredy reserved a beautiful hotel in Carmel. Now we don't even know if we can visit that charming town. We are really disappointed about this.

Can someone give us some advices?
We are really looking forward to your help and really appreciate it!

You can ask another car rental. But there are laws.
Have your honeymoon when he can qualify.

If you can't find another car rental option you could take a shuttle bus from San Francisco to Monterey (Carmel) from either the Marina area or the airport

https://www.montereyairbus.com/rates

Then you could spend your time in Carmel, using a taxi to get around.

From Carmel to Los Angeles you could take the train (although I'm not sure how much of the coast you'll see) or arrange other private transportation. I suggest you contact the hotel in Carmel and ask them for suggestions - they should be in the best position to help you.

Regarding a car - have you contacted a broker like Auto Europe (by phone) - they might know of companies that will rent to new drivers (if it's legal)

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

One other thought - do you have an international driver's permit? (IDP) If you find a car rental company that will accept your husband's license they might require an IDP.

I thought of IDL but -- read this, seems like your Chinese license ma be needed along with IDL:
"If you want to rent a car, find out the rental company's policies in advance. You may need both your driver's license and an International Driving Permit (IDP). An IDP is identification that contains your name, photo, and driver information translated into 10 languages. "

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign-Vi...-Driving.shtml

And beware of scams online selling these --
"IDP Scams
Individuals or companies not authorized to issue IDPs sell fakes on websites, through unsolicited email, and in person for prices ranging from $60 to $400.

If you buy a fake IDP, not only will you be paying for a worthless document, but you also could face legal problems or travel delays if you’re detained for using it to drive in a foreign country."

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/article...-license-scams

Looks like the 1 year is standard --

https://www.justlanded.com/english/U...ure/Car-Rental

DebitNM - I surfed around a few rental companies' terms and conditions (Hertz, Avis) and couldn't find reference to that requirement in the Driver's License language. Autoeurope has a blanket statement about it (with an additional - "some exceptions apply"). I've never heard of it before - have you?

I was not aware of that restriction, but it does seem to make sense.

> seems like your Chinese license ma be needed along with IDL

The first thing to know about the IDP ("permit," not license) is that it is only what it SAYS its is: a statement, in about a dozen languages, that the bearer holds a valid driver's license from her/his home country. It is not, and does not claim to be, an actual license to drive.
http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpfaqc.html
If you have the IDP without your actual license, you have a piece of paper that says nothing more than, "This person has a valid license somewhere, just not with him/her."

If you're driving a car; and are stopped by a police officer who asks, "Driver's license, please;" it won't do much good to show a paper making that latter statement.

I "think" that the intent of IDP is/was to provide translation of licenses in languages other than English, as noted above.

It seems your best bet might be switching your dates - come to California in September! You would have to pay a change fee for your airline tickets, but most hotels have cancellation policies that allow you to change dates without penalty this far out.

I live in the Santa Cruz area - and I can't imagine not having a car to drive along the central coast and on down Hwy One to Los Angeles. There are so many places to stop for spectacular views and some wonderful meals along the way.

The big plus in changing dates - if you can manage that - is that the weather along the coast in September is way better than what you would have in May. September is our "weather for the locals" season - hardly any fog and the warmest coastal temperatures of the year. Many people plan their vacations for that time of year just for that reason.

I've never heard of that rule. Does any driver's license even state when it was first issued?

When you decide which office you'll be renting from in downtown San Francisco....Hertz, National, or Avis.....call that office directly and ask them about the requirements.

I'm going to be the curmudgeon for the group:

Even given relatively courteous drivers in the Golden State, I'm not sure that someone with barely a year on their driver's license should be trying to negotiate California's roads and freeways. I'd think seriously about extending my time in San Francisco, taking a bus to Carmel-- and just staying in the northern half of the state. No muss, no fuss, lots and lots of lovely things to do, and no real need to have a car.

Just a curmudgeon's 2¢.... :)

I've always been aware of the rule -- don't know where I first heard about it but I figured it was common knowledge.

I am not sure the companies actually check the license' issue date -- BUT even if they don't and there is a problem, the insurance could be voided.

being from China -- it may not be that easy to change your dates/visa. But if you can, that might be your best option. Weather on the coast is very best in September/early October.

Good luck.

This makes no sense. Just because one has had a license for a year does not mean that one has been driving during that year; it doesn't signify anything at all about one's driving ability. So what is the rule meant to accomplish?

Even given relatively courteous drivers in the Golden State, I'm not sure that someone with barely a year on their driver's license should be trying to negotiate California's roads and freeways

I could not agree more!! And the woman states he has only had a license for ayear--I trust that to mean something about driving ability or at least experience. States are requiring more of new teenage drivers these days with good reason.

I'd never heard of this rule before either, maybe it is something new? Anyway I agree with the suggestion of postponing your trip until the fall, which is a great time to visit, warm weather, usually no fog in SF (although they do get a lot of conventions in mid-September). If they are driving the Big Sur, they won't be driving very fast anyway due to the curves, etc.

>>maybe it is something new? <<

I've been aware of it for at least 20 years -- but like I said I'm not sure how tightly they enforce it.

Even if he has been driving for the 'legal' year I don't think driving the Hwy 1 drive North to South is a good idea. It's frigtening to some seasoned drivers. I can't imagine what it could be like for someone with barely any driving experience.

Ursula - I'm very sorry for this prediciment. You might consider the advice by the people who have mentioned the tours to Carmel. And then local tours around there.

If you don't mind taking a tour, you can check out the website for taketours.com, as they are an Asian tour company and offer many tours.

The 1 year rule is not a law - it's the reg of the rental car company - and I would check others to see if they have the same one.

Obviously it doesn't ensure a good driver but it eliminates those who have been driving only a small time - and much more likely to have accidents due to inexperience.

My DL says: "Issued 5/29/14 Expires: 5/29/18"

With those dates is look like I have been driving less than a year. Not hardly. How would the rental company know how long the OP's husband has had a license unless he is very young??

Perhaps this is a moot point.

Not my comment; I meant the OP's concerns may not be worrysome.

Unless there is an accident ... and then the truth would come into play and liability could be a big problem.