[Red] There's something not right with the Brits - DVLA

The DVLA is the British driving license people. I have written about them before, but they had to go and top themself.

As part of my job, I need a driving license. I was able to drive on my Canadian one for a year, but that expired a couple months ago. I had to make the switch.

The DVLA is conveneiently located nowhere near anyplace you can access with public transportation. You have to drive to get there. The irony of this makes me smile. My mode of transportation is a bike, so I took an afternoon off work to cycle there with the plethora of required information.

I have my Canadian license that I need to hand in. I have my passport. I have the required photo. I have the money to exchange. I have a license from ICBC saying that they let me drive manual transmission vehicles (it didn't work before, but you never know). At the DVLA, I grab the right form, and fill that out.

When my number gets called, I corral my stuff and head to the office. I lay it on the counter, and start passing documents through the small window gap. When I get to the passport, the guy behind the counter announces "Your passport is damaged."

Yes. Yes it is. It went through the wash in the back pocket of my jeans. Some of the stamps have run a little, and the front and back covers are damaged. The important bits are good enough to allow me to travel to Italy, back to the UK. To the US, then Canada, back to the US, then the UK without anyone commenting on the condition. But he can't scan it. Too damaged.

I take the damaged passort to Paris and back the next weekend, then mail off the huge bundle of required documents to officially exchange my license.

When I received my UK driving license, something dawned on me. I'm terrible at roundabouts - but legally allowed to drive through them. I can't parallel park on the left side - but legally allowed to make a hash of trying. I'm really uneasy on some of these narrow roads where you are allowed to drive 60mph - but legally allowed to bomb through them. I'm not used to looking left for my rear-view mirror - but legally allowed to.

I am very confident in my ability to shift, double-clutch and otherwise drive manual transmission cars - but not legally allowed to do so. And that's not right.