![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/internatil-DL-214x300.jpg\" "\\"internatil")
<\/a>The State of Florida has backed away from a recent law change that would have seen Canadian drivers — packing their beach towels and flip-flops for a sunny winter getaway — weighed down with another piece of baggage: an international driving permit.<\/p>\nThe Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says it will “defer” the enforcement of a new law that would requires Canadians and other non-U.S. citizens to carry an international driving permit — in addition to their regular driver’s license — if they wished to get behind the wheel of a car while visiting the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n
“It has come to the department\u2019s attention that this requirement may violate the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (1949), an international treaty to which the United States is a signatory,” a statement from the Florida DMV says.<\/p>\n
Instead, the Florida Highway Patrol will “defer enforcement of violations of the amended statutory section” until a treaty amendment can be made. Non-residents will still need to keep a valid driver’s license from their home country on hand at all times if they wish to drive in the state.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, some Canadians expressed outrage at the new rule, suggesting it was silly or implemented without warning.<\/p>\n
“Canadians in Florida now require international drivers’ licenses … seriously? I find this out the day before I leave…” wrote a woman Twitter.<\/p>\n
Kirsten Olsen-Doolan, a spokesperson for the Florida DMV, confirmed that Florida quietly brought the new requirement into law on Jan. 1, though few people even noticed the new rules at first.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think anyone was honestly tuned into it until some British folks started asking about it, and then you guys started asking about it,” Olsen-Doolan said.<\/p>\n
The point, Olsen-Doolan said, was simply to ensure that all drivers in Florida carry licenses written in a language that police officers can read and understand.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers didn’t take into account the fact that Canadian licenses are already in English, and the department is now seeking “to make it clear that a license already written in English would be acceptable,” Olsen-Doolan said.<\/p>\n
However, the earliest that change could happen would have been March, when the next legislative session begins.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of things, criminally, that take our attention but you should have the proper documents in case you were to get in a crash or something like that,” Olsen-Doolan warned.<\/p>\n
An international driving permits costs of $25 and is available from the Canadian Automobile Association. No test is required, but applicants must fill out a form, be 18 years of age or older, and must provide a photocopy of both sides of their valid Canadian driver’s license and two passport-type photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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