In general, how do driver’s licenses work ?

8 comments

1. Learner’s permit generally for kids. Over 18? Pass the written test, the eye chart reading and the driving exam, boom, a licensed driver, rev up and peel out!

2. That’s how it works for people over 18, with also passing an eye exam before getting your license.

3. In general, you can get a learner’s permit at around 15. This typically has some restrictions attached to it, like only being allowed to drive during day time for a few months and having a regular licensed driver accompanying you. After a year with your learner’s, you can take the test for a regular license. Florida’s minimum age is 15, so by 16 you can be a fully licensed driver.

   If you’re 18 or older, you just apply for a regular license immediately regardless as to whether or not you previously held a learner’s permit.

   I had to take quick a vision test, a short written test, and then the actual road test which lasted about 15 minutes.

   For motorcycles anything over 50cc needs a motorcycle endorsement. You need to have a regular license and pass a BRC or basic rider course. If you just want license that’s only valid for motorcycles, you can apply for that as long as you’re at least 16 and hold either a learner’s permit or a regular license. We don’t do separate licenses for different engine displacements.

4. Varies greatly by state.

   I’m in NJ. At 16 years old you can pass a written test and do 6 hours of driving with an instructor to get a learners permit. With a learners permit there is no unsupervised driving and some rules about who/when you can drive. At 17 you take a driving test to get a probational drivers license. You can then drive unsupervised, but if you are unsupervised you can only drive one passenger. You also cannot drive after 11:00 pm, and before 5:00am. At 18 you can upgrade to a full Basic Drivers License, with no extra restrictions

5. It would probably be boring to show the full process on screen. Other than perhaps people who grew up driving a truck around the family farm, most people need some supervised practice.

   Teen restrictions: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#restrictions.asp

   General eligibility: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#eligibility.asp

6. Unlike Australia, we don’t have red/green Ps and our Ls are a bit different. We do have learner’s permits (rules will vary by state).

   In New York, you can sit the test for your permit at 16 which allows you to drive with a fully licensed driver. When you’re 18 you can take your road test for your full license (or 17 if you take a driver’s education course).

7. Varies wildly by state for the 15-17 crowd, they tend to have restrictions, some states recognize each others learners permits some do not, licences however are always recognized.
   Basically, over the age of 18, pass theory test, pass vision test, pass practical driving exam, get full licence and go.

   It is common to need other endorcements for other vehicles such as Semi Truck & trailers, or motorcycle.

8. It varies a lot by state, and things have cracked down quite a lot since I was a teen in the 90s in Virginia.

   But in general, you pass a written exam to get a learner’s permit and.a road test for a full license.

   Back then, you could pass a multiple choice written exam at age 15.5, and get a learner’s permit.

   Then you were allowed to drive anywhere at any time as long as a licensed driver over 18 was in the car with you.

   You had to complete a driver’s education course. If you met an age standard (15.5 years old in first semester tenth grade, maybe? I don’t remember) you could do this through school. If not, you gad to take private lessons (I had to go this route because I was young for my class).

   Then you took the driver’s road test. I flunked the first time (I did a California rolling stop) and passed the second (the guy giving me the test just gad me drive a lap of an outlet mall lmao). Then I had a license with no restrictions whatsoever.

   Nowadays, because teens are such high risk for car accidents, states often have rules about not driving at night, not driving with other kids in the car, etc.

   Oh, and states vary a lot in regards to the actual, behind the wheel exam. Some have you drive around an obstacle course in a parking lot, others have you go on the road. Some make you parallel park, others don’t.

   But regardless of where you get your license, it’s good all over the country, and if you move the motor vehicle authority where you live will honor it and let you transfer.

   So if you live in a state that lets you get a license by doing something dumb like driving a lap around an outlet mall, that’s good enough even in states that have strict tests and parallel parking requirements.

   ETA: also, you need to pass a vision test, basically every time you deal with the DMV. If you need corrective lenses to pass, your license will say so. I am not allowed to drive without my glasses.

   Also, sometimes your state will put your license under additional scrutiny as you age, for example, making sure a driver over age 80 has sufficient reflexes to react in an emergency. Or if an older person can no longer see well at night, they might have a daytime only license.