Why is a driver's license called a 'driver's license'?
3 Answers
The full name of a driver's license is 'Motor Vehicle Driver's License,' also referred to as a 'driver's license.' It is a certificate required by law for individuals who operate motor vehicles. 'Driver's license' and 'Motor Vehicle Driver's License' are the same. 'Driver's license' is the colloquial term for 'Motor Vehicle Driver's License,' with no difference between them except in name. Below is a detailed introduction to the driver's license: 1. Overview of the driver's license: The full name of a driver's license is 'Motor Vehicle Driver's License,' also referred to as a 'driver's license.' It is a certificate required by law for individuals who operate motor vehicles. Driving a motor vehicle requires certain skills, and those lacking such skills may cause traffic accidents if they drive recklessly. Generally, individuals cannot drive on the road without a license. 2. Driving age: To apply for a license for small cars, small automatic transmission cars, small automatic transmission passenger cars for the disabled, or light motorcycles, the applicant must be 18 years or older (previously restricted to under 70 years old, now with no upper age limit). To apply for a license for low-speed trucks, three-wheeled cars, ordinary three-wheeled motorcycles, ordinary two-wheeled motorcycles, or wheeled self-propelled machinery, the applicant must be between 18 and 60 years old.
In the past, people referred to a driver's license as 'driver's license' simply because it was easier to say. Who wants to use a four-character word in daily conversation? Just like 'ID card' is shortened to 'ID', and 'vehicle license' is often called 'driving license', all for convenience. The term 'driver's license' is used both in the south and north of China, and young people say it even more smoothly. Nowadays, even traffic police occasionally use this term during law enforcement. Language is inherently dynamic, and when enough people use a term, it becomes conventional. In Hong Kong and Macau, it's called 'car plate', but in mainland China, 'car plate' refers to the metal plate on the vehicle, which is quite an interesting difference.
Having been a driving instructor at a driving school for twenty years, I've been asked this question quite often by students. In fact, 'driver's license' is just the colloquial term for a driving license, similar to how 'teacher qualification certificate' is shortened to 'teaching certificate' in Mandarin. I remember back in the 1970s, drivers were considered skilled workers, and people would formally refer to it as a 'driving license.' Later, as private cars became more common, the public got used to saying 'get a driver's license,' and now even official notices use phrases like 'driving permit and driver's license are synonymous.' Language tends to simplify with use, just as naturally as young people use 'ride-hailing' instead of 'online car-hailing service.'
