Florida Drivers Education

If you are one of the growing numbers of teens in Florida, you will need to thoroughly understand the complex issues surrounding holding a drivers license in the state. Florida law provides that all teens above the age of fifteen may apply for a learner’s permit and also requires that all drivers under the age of eighteen hold a permit for a period of at least one year – there are no exceptions to this rule. In addition, it is critical that you understand that while you hold a learners permit, regardless of your age, you are prohibited from driving a vehicle alone.

To earn your learner’s permit, you must first reach the age of fifteen; you must produce one primary form of identification as well as a secondary form of identification, you must also show proof that you have completed a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course and have a Parental Consent Form signed in the presence of a DMV examiner or notarized – if you are under eighteen one of your parents or a legal guardian must sign this form and it cannot be signed by a step-parent unless you have been legally adopted.

There are also some tests that you will be required to take. There is a vision as well as a hearing test, and there are two written tests (both multiple choice) which consist of twenty question each. In order to pass you must answer fifteen questions regarding road rules and fifteen regarding road signs correctly. You can get assistance preparing for these tests in the Florida Driver Handbook.

While you hold your Florida Learner’s Permit, during the first three months you may only drive during daylight hours until ten o’clock at night, and you must always have a licensed driver who is over the age of twenty one with you in the front passengers seat. Once you reach the age of sixteen provided you have held your learner’s permit for one year, you may apply for an Operator’s License provided that you have completed a minimum of fifty hours of behind the wheel driving with not less than ten of those hours being completed after dark. You will be required to perform a driving test, and details can be found in the Florida Driver Handbook.

Once you have earned your Operator’s License, and you are sixteen years old you will be allowed to drive from 6am to 11pm by yourself and may drive during other hours if you are accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least twenty one years old and occupies the front seat – though exceptions will be made if you are traveling to or from work. If you are seventeen years old and have earned your Operators License you may drive from 5am to 1am (same exceptions apply as sixteen year old).

There are severe penalties for teens who abuse their learner’s permit privileges. If you are convicted of a traffic violation you will not be allowed to apply for your drivers license prior to one year from the date of conviction or until you are eighteen years old, if you are found guilty and six or more points are assessed on your driving record, your driving privileges may be limited to business purposes only for one year or until you turn eighteen (whichever comes first) and each additional point will extend this restriction for a minimum of ninety days. If you are under the age of twenty one and you are tested with a blood alcohol level of .02% or more, you will be subject to an administrative suspension for six months and second offenses will result in a one year suspension. If you refuse to submit to a blood alcohol test you will automatically have your privileges suspended for one year and a second offence would incur a minimum eighteen month suspension. For students who have a permit or a license, truancy from school will result in a license suspension until you have returned to school and completed thirty consecutive days in school. If you are found in possession of tobacco products your license or permit will be revoked automatically for a minimum of six months to a maximum of twelve months.
 

The point system that Florida uses to assess points is this:

Remember having a learner’s permit or a driver’s license is a privilege, do not abuse that privilege.