Vvrrooomm!

According to the U.S. Department of State website, international drivers licenses get handed out like candy even though "1.17 million deaths occur each year worldwide" due to vehicular accidents (primarily in other countries), or b/c of morons who can't drive, or for innocent bystanders who just happen to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, with my stellar driving record (I've successfully managed to weasle my way out of getting 3 speeding tickets in my lifetime even if they were deserved or not), I will be in possession of one of these international permits after going through the necessary steps.

What are these steps? Well it is apparently very quick and simple. Most countries do not believe the US drivers license to be adequate, so they have decided an extra piece of paper called an International Drivers Permit (IDP), which is to be kept with your actual license at all times, suggests you are an OK driver and is accepted almost anywhere. It doesn't replace your driver's license, it just supplements it. The IDP can be requested through AAA (American Autombile Association) by filling out this handy little form, and paying $15. You could also go through the AATA (American Automobile Touring Alliance), but who has ever really heard of them before? At least AAA gives you a discount at various places if you have one of their nifty little cards. Anyway, jump through those simple hoops, and within no time you'll have an IDP and be ready for some foreign cruising.

Do I really expect to be driving over there? In short, no. Apparently, according to Wikipedia, Seoul has more than 3 million registered vehicles for its 605 sq. kilometers which is smaller than New York City - so traffic congestion is a pretty common problem over there. My purpose for having an IDP is two fold - 1) I want to add another license to my list just for fun (car, boat, soon to be motorcycle), - and 2) I have read in multiple places that people will rent cars while visiting the island of Jeju, an island off the southern coast of Korea that's a very popular vacation spot full of beaches and subtropical weather.

Whenever I get it in the mail, I'll make sure to scan a copy to show you all here.


***Added after this was posted***
A recent article on CNN about the statistics of Americans involved in Foreign Car Crashes