If you have had a driver’s licence tucked in your wallet, you should still be able to remember what it was like getting that valuable document.

The panic, the nail biting, the perspiration forming on your brow as the traffic officer makes notes and you keep thinking “Did I hit that traffic cone or not?”

To help make this a less stressful experience for every 16 or 18-year-old ready to take that leap, we’ve got the low-down on what you need to know before making your way down to the Transport Control Department (TCD).

You have to be 16-years-old to qualify for an auxiliary licence, while you have to be 18 to qualify for a licence for motorcycles, cars, trucks and taxis.

The first step to getting a licence is completing a licence application form which can be collected from TCD, or printed from their website at www.etcd.gov.bm.

This document requires a medical section completed by your doctor to certify that you are fit to operate your desired vehicle and is valid for three months.

Before taking the written test, TCD suggests studying the Traffic Code Handbook, which can be purchased at their North Street offices. Students participating in Project Ride can take the written test at their respective schools.

Acting road safety officer, Michael Fox, explains that Project Ride is a 12-hour auxiliary cycle course offered to students at schools who are no younger than 15 and a half years old. Students spend four hours covering the theory part of the course in a classroom and eight hours of practical experience.

“The driving part of the test depends on whether or not the instructor feels the student is ready or not and what they normally do is complete four one-hour practical training classes,” he added. “Once they complete the course, they come to TCD to do the Project Ride test. A maximum of eight students at a time complete this part of the test.”

Meanwhile the general public have to take the written test at TCD’s offices and it is not necessary to make an appointment for this.

Don’t forget to take the completed application form as well as your birth certificate or passport when you go to take the test. Guest workers also need to take a copy of their work permit.

The TCD written exam consists of a set of multiple-choice questions designed to test your general knowledge of the rules of the road, local signage and speed limits and is based on the Traffic Code Handbook. Once you pass, you will be issued a learner’s permit which is valid for six months.

As for the costs involved: a learner’s permit costs $21 while a ten-year driver’s licence is $90; a five-year driver’s licence for those between the ages of 65 and 75 costs $22 and a two-year driver’s licence for those over the age of 75 costs $6.

If you feel confident enough to take your practical examination within the next few months, it might be a good idea to make an appointment for your test as early as possible. This appointment can be made either at TCD or online.

The practical test for all cycles is given at the TCD testing grounds and covers basic topics like taking a corner without putting your foot on the ground and using your indicators correctly, while the test for four-wheeled vehicles consists of parallel parking, reversing and a supervised drive on the roads of Hamilton.

Congratulations, if you successfully complete all of these steps you will receive a licence to operate your class of vehicle on the roads of Bermuda.

Costs for the practical examinations include $19.20 for all two-wheeled vehicles; four-wheeled vehicles cost $27.60 and an examination for a driver’s licence for anyone under the age of 65 costs $39. Practical examinations for potential driving instructors costs $50.