Dictionary

paper driver en · NOUN

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese ペーパードライバー (pēpā doraibā), from English paper + driver.

Meanings

1. (qualifier:usually non-native speakers' English, rare) A person who has a driver's license but never drives.
   • If a person in Japan identifies her/himself as a paper driver, no non-Japanese is likely to find the intelligibility of the term difficult at all, but probably most non-Japanese will have no idea of the comprehensibility or the interpretability of the term. Almost all non-Japanese need to be taught that a paper driver is one who holds a legal driver's license but does not consider her/himself competent as a driver and usually uses the license only as a means of identification when legally necessary. 2009, Kumiko Murata, Jennifer Jenkins, Global Englishes in Asian Contexts: Current and Future Debates, page 22:
   • But the average Japanese does not own a car (as an individual). I don't have the figures but someone told me that less than half of those of driving age do not own a car, moreso,^([sic]) of those who do have a license, a relatively small percentage of those with licenses own their own car, many are paper drivers. 1997 September 17, Mitch Sako, “NY TIMES: Japan's Economy Shrinks by 11.2% Annual Rate”, in soc.culture.japan.moderated (Usenet), retrieved 23 May 2022:
   • There are people who surely should not drive. "Paper drivers" and at risk drivers should be recertified. 2002 February 17, Eric Takabayashi, “I'm going to New Jersey via Wisconsin to pick up some Snickers and Mars”, in fj.life.in-japan (Usenet), retrieved 23 May 2022:
   • There are courses aimed at "Paper Drivers" people who get their license but never use it, I know people that have had their license for over 7 Years and never driven except for the tests 2005 March 23, harv, “Interesting road rule in Japan.”, in aus.cars (Usenet), retrieved 23 May 2022:

Forms

Translations (2)

ja ペーパードライバー (person who has a driver's license but never drives) · cmn 本本族 (person who has a driver's license but never drives)