Do you physically need a license to drive in the US?
Upvote:6
Depending in the state, the connectivity of the computer in the trooper's car, and the mood and/or ticket quota status of the trooper, you might be ok just by knowing your details. I left my wallet at home once, in my area drivers have 72 hours to produce so I went home, then to the police station and produced it. The desk officer called the issuing officer who said just make a copy of the license and he will cancel the ticket when he gets back. I heard all this over the open radio. "Cancel" in my jurisdiction means it never existed.
In my particular case it was quite beneficial to not have my license as the guy completely forgot to write up the rolling stop that he initially pulled me over for.
However, in your example you will be far away from home, so you can't just go and get it.
Also, there's no car rental company on the continent that will give you the keys without also seeing an original, valid license and supporting documentation from a Vienna Convention country, so whatever the local police think isn't relevant. As you will not have a car you will not be stopped for any traffic violations.
Upvote:7
This is a matter of state law, so the answer will vary by state; there is not a single answer for "the US". This article describes some of the possibilities and links to the relevant state laws.
For example, in my home state of Colorado, CRS 42-2-101 (2) states that you may not drive unless you have your driver's license in your "immediate possession". However, subsection (6) provides that if you are charged with a violation of this law, and you appear in court with your license, the charge will be dismissed. But it is not sufficient to just be able to tell a police officer your license number or other identifying information - by law, you would still get a ticket, and have to go to court to clear it.
As you mentioned renting: Many (if not all) rental companies will refuse to rent to you if you cannot produce your physical driver's license. This is likely to be true as a matter of company policy, regardless of whether the relevant state law would allow you to drive without the license.
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