<P> In some international agreements the wording driver's permit is used, for instance in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic . </P> <P> Karl Benz, inventor of the modern automobile, had to receive written permission from the Grand Ducal authorities to operate his car on public roads in 1888 after residents complained about the noise and smell of his Motorwagen . Up until the start of the 20th century, European authorities issued licenses to drive motor vehicles similarly ad hoc, if at all . </P> <P> Mandatory licensing for drivers came into force on 1 January 1904 after the Motor Car Act 1903 received royal assent in the United Kingdom . Every car owner had to register their vehicle with their local government authority and be able to prove registration of their vehicle on request . The minimum qualifying age was set at 17 . The licence gave its holder' freedom of the road' with a maximum 20 mph (32 km / h) speed limit . Compulsory testing was introduced in 1934, with the passing of the Road Traffic Act . </P> <P> Prussia, then a state within the German Empire, introduced compulsory licensing on September 29, 1903 . A test on mechanical aptitude had to be passed and the Dampfkesselüberwachungsverein ("steam boiler supervision association") was charged with conducting these tests . In 1910, the German imperial government mandated the licensing of drivers on a national scale, establishing a system of tests and driver's education requirements that was adopted in other countries . </P>

When did it become necessary to have a driver's license