How do Americans get there drivers license?

18 comments

1. In my state, if you’re under 18, you have to take classes, then pass a written and practical test. If you’re 18 or older, you can just take the tests.

2. Written test for permit, driving test for license, fees involved vary by state.

3. Driver’s licenses are governed by the state, so the details vary.

   In general around 15 you can take a written exam for a learner’s permit. This lets you drive with a fully licensed driver in the passenger seat, usually with some extra requirements like being a guardian or maybe 25+, something like that.

   At 16+ and often with some specific requirements like number of months with a learner’s permit, acceptable classes taken, etc… you can take a test (usually both written and practical) for a provisional license of some kind. Provisional licenses let you drive alone, but most states have additional restrictions on them. In my state, for a couple of examples, there’s a limit on the number of passengers under 18 you can have in the car and you lose the license if you have any detectable alcohol in your system instead of having a maximum allowable BAC like with a full license.

   Assuming you go those two years without issue, you convert to a full license automatically at 18.

   If you didn’t have a provisional license at 18, you can skip the learner’s permit and provisional process and test directly for a full license.

   Rough outline and there are a bunch of exceptions, edge cases and such across states and circumstances, hardship licenses may allow rural or working teens to be licensed younger for example, but that’s going to cover the general idea for most Americans.

4. Lottery.

5. You go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state and then take a written test and then the driving test and then an eye test. If you pass everything they give you a license with your picture on it.

   After that every 6 or 8 years you just have to renew your license by paying a fee no more tests, except an eye test and a new picture.

6. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

7. In the state I grew up, you took a class at around 14-15, got your permit where you could drive with your parents supervision, and then once you completed a certain amount of hours and had the permit for a minimum of a year, you could get your full license by passing a driving test at the DMV.

8. It’s gonna vary by state.

   For me:

   1. I had to take a Driver’s Ed class at 15 that was both in the classroom and behind the wheel

   2. get a learner’s permit

   3. drive and log 60 hours with a supervising adult

   4. Get a limited provisional license at 16 (no driving from 9:00 pm to 5 am unsupervised, some other restrictions) did a road and “paper” test here.

   5. Get a full provisional license at 16 and 6 months (same as a regular DL but for people under 18) no test.

   6. Get a Driver License at 18. No test.

   I also went and got a Class B CDL @ 25 so I could drive activity busses but that’s a whole different process.

9. Very easily

10. I found mine in a Crackerjak box! 😉

11. Find one on the side of the road

12. Waiting in long lines at a slow moving DMV.

13. It varies state to state but my experience was (maybe still is) similar to others. Many years ago (91) in Maine I took a couple weeks of part time classroom instruction. These classes were at a private business owned and operated by a retired city police officer. He was licensed by the state as a driving instructor. The classes where in the afternoon/evening so that high school students could attend. After the few weeks classes we took a written test demonstrating that we knew the laws and started driving in a car that belonged to the driving school. The instructor was in the car and the car had a break pedal on the passenger side for the instructor to use if he needed to. After a certain amount of hours practice driving I could schedule a road test with the student department of motor vehicles(DMV). At the time in Maine 16 year olds were allowed to get a license but my parents made me wait until after my 17th birthday. I requested a test date from the state in October and received a test date scheduled in January. I took my road test in Portland the day after a massive snowstorm, demonstrated that I knew how to parallel park between two traffic cones against a snow bank. Passed the test and received my license.

14. In Michigan it was driver’s training -> Drive with someone over 18 for X amount of hours -> Take a driving test -> Take a written test -> Turn 16 and go to the Secretary of State’s office -> Get a restricted license -> Have a clean record for like a year and get your regular license

15. Try to drive a stick shift around the woods while your dad smacks you in the back of the head for popping the clutch, then go take a test and pay for your license.

16. In my state, you go to a driving school, supervised driving sessions, take the test, and then get your license.

17. As with nearly everything else, it varies by state.

18. I took a written test for a learner’s permit at 14. I took a driver’s education class at 15 so I could drive to school at 15, and had a license at 16 since I had no accidents or traffic violations.