1.3 Driving Test, Licence Classes, Renewal and Demerit Points

The Regulation Examination tests what you know. The driving examination tests whether you can apply it. Many theory questions also cover the licence itself: who may hold which class, how long it lasts, what you must carry, and how demerit points work.

The driving examination

• Booking and fee. The BLA requires an appointment, proof of identity and a valid learner permit. The fee is BBD $100 and, under s.71(2), it is payable "irrespective of the result of the test."
• What the examiner checks (s.65(5)). The test is taken on a vehicle of the class you want. The examiner must be satisfied that you are conversant with the Highway Code or the rules of the road, that you can drive "without danger to, and with due consideration for, other users of the road," and that you meet any other requirements in the regulations.
• Restrictions. If you pass in a particular type of vehicle, such as an automatic or an adapted vehicle, the examiner issues a certificate of competence setting out the restrictions, and the BLA prints them on the licence (s.65(6) and (7)).
• The licence. With the pass certificate you apply for the licence card. The BLA fee is BBD $50.

Classes of licence and minimum ages

Section 68(2) groups vehicles into classes: private motor cars; motor cycles; public service vehicles; light and heavy goods vehicles; land tractors and motor tractors; and any other class the Minister sets by order. A licence is valid only for the class or classes endorsed on it.

Driving a class of vehicle while under the prescribed age is an offence under s.70, for the driver and for anyone who permits it.

Fitness to drive

Under s.66 the Licensing Authority must be satisfied that an applicant's vision, hearing and physical and mental fitness are adequate, and it may require a medical certificate or a further test. If your vision only meets the standard with glasses or contact lenses, wear them whenever you drive.

Duration and renewal (s.76)

• A licence may be issued or renewed for 1 year, 3 years or 5 years, and it is issued or renewed in the month in which you were born.
• At 70 or older, you must produce a medical certificate to renew, the licence may not be granted or renewed for more than 1 year at a time, and the Licensing Authority may require a test.
• If a licence has gone 3 years without renewal, the Licensing Authority may require a new driving test.

Carrying and producing your licence

Section 74, as replaced by the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017-26, requires the driver of a motor vehicle on a public road to have the driving licence or a government-issued identification card in their possession, and to produce it when a police officer or a transport inspector in uniform asks. If you produce only the ID card, you must produce the licence at the police station they name within 24 hours. The penalty is a fine of BBD $1,000 or 12 months' imprisonment, or both. Section 42, as amended, sets the same 24-hour window for producing your certificate of insurance.

Demerit points (s.79 and the Sixth Schedule)

When a driver is convicted of an offence listed in the Sixth Schedule, the Licensing Authority records the points shown against it. The court does not.

Points are expunged after 3 years if no further points are recorded, and they are wiped when a suspension of 3 months or more has been served. You may appeal a suspension to the High Court within 10 days. Driving while suspended is punishable by a fine of BBD $1,000 or 12 months' imprisonment, plus a further 6-month suspension.

The Sixth Schedule ranks offences in groups. The most serious group is not stopping after an accident and not reporting an accident involving injury. Examples further down include failing to obey a stop sign, a light signal or a police officer's lawful direction, and overtaking improperly (4 points each). Not signalling, exceeding the limit by 20 km/h or more, causing unnecessary obstruction and parking in a restricted place carry 2 points each. In January 2026 the Government announced a reform of the fixed-penalty and demerit regimes, so check the BLA for current details.