A marriage license is easier than getting a driver's license.

Personally, I find this seriously concerning, but that's just a personal opinion after hearing this matter discussed on radio.

I mean you can just go out, get married, get a marriage license so easily and cause so much damage, but getting a drivers license involves so much time and regulation.

One has to consider the percentage of people who get divorced, versus the amount of people who end up in a car accident.

Should people undergo pre-marriage counselling?

"Studies reveal that premarital counseling is an effective tool to use as you begin your married life."

http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-connected-life/201706/do-you-really-need-premarital-counseling

Would pre-marriage counselling though break up relationships between people? Is it really worth the risk?

Dear Nathan,

The difference between marriage and driving is that the latter is enforceable, not the former.

If someone drives without a license, police can find it out quite easily.
But if someone is married without a license, how would authorities possibly know?

So even if they decree that you cannot marry without their license, still what stops you from marrying? how possibly could police see into the depths of your heart?

In Australia today, the civil act of marriage means nothing anyway.
Unlike driving, all that you can do with that silly piece of paper, you can also do without it.

Yeah, sounds reasonable.

A poorly issued marriage licence poses a less risk to life and limb than a poorly issued driver's licence.

Yuyutsu,

What about simpau marriage?

NathanJ: You seem to be conflating two issues here:

1) The ease of which some one can marry.

2) The ease which someone can be authorised to preform a marriage ceremony.

I believe that we do already have some provisions to prevent a hasty marriage. For example, I think that there is some waiting period that must be fulfilled (I think under normal circumstances it is a month). Also prenuptials have had legal bearing for sometime now, so if a couple chooses they can enter into one which should help in the case of a divorce. But ultimately it is a couple's decision to form a union (be it mariage/defacto) so they must bare the consequences if it all goes sour. In other words, any mess caused by a divorce is surely the responsibility of those who got married. Adults are meant to be wise enough to look after themselves.

Regarding the ease of being able to get a marriage licence. As far as the government is concerned a marriage is just a piece of paper work with a few associated background checks. As long as the person can prove that they can do this correctly why shouldn't they be deemed worthy of marrying folk?

And as a last remark, as Toni Lavis already points out, improperly driven cars can potentially cause substantial property loss, physically and emotionally injure and even kill not only those driving but more importantly others as well. Given this it makes sense to me that we demand that people driving on the roads have adequate training and experience.

What do you mean by a marriage 'licence'? In Australia you fill in a form which must be presented to a celebrant at least a month before the marriage date. There's no test. You can't commit bigamy, and that's about it.

Why worry about it? Marriage doesn't have much meaning in a society which allows two people of the same sex to do it. More and more people these days co-habit, raise a family and live 'happily ever after' without being married. It's a non-issue.