Encyclopedia - Learning to Drive in the US

Last update:
24-Mar-00
©1996-2004
Mike Todd

Learning to Drive in the US

The minimum age for driving varies from state to state. It's usually around 17 years, but if a teenager has completed a Drivers Ed course at school, they can drive at an earlier age. In some rural areas, children can drive at very young ages, but they're limited to driving on "farm roads". These aren't roads within a farm, but are roads designated as "farm roads".

In the table, the minimum age for driving is given - a second figure is the age at which you can drive having completed a Drivers Ed course. As with everything on this site, this is just for general information If you're a teenager and you do plan to drive, you must check the local details. Don't rely on this information!!

Alabama 16

Alaska 16

Arizona 16

Arkansas 16

California 18/16

Colorado 18

Connecticut 18/16

Delaware 18/16

DC 18

Florida 16

Georgia 16

Hawaii 15

Idaho 17

Illinois 18/16

Indiana 18/16

Iowa 18/16

Kansas 16

Kentucky 16

Louisiana 17/15

Maine 17/16

Maryland 18/16

Massachusetts 18/17

Michigan 18/16

Minnesota 18/16

Mississippi 15

Missouri 16

Montana 16/15

Nebraska 19

Nevada 16

N Hampshire 18/16

New Jersey 17

New Mexico 16/15

New York 18/17

N Carolina 18/16

N Dakota 16

Ohio 18/16

Oklahoma 16

Oregon 16

Pennsylvania 18/17

Rhode Island 18/16

S Carolina 16

S Dakota 16

Tennessee 16

Texas 18/16

Utah 16

Vermont 18

Virginia 18/16

Washington 18/16

W Virginia 18/16

Wisconsin 18/16

Wyoming 16

For the past couple of years, many states have been changing the way they handle the early years of driving, aware of the very high rate of accidents caused by teenage drivers. A 16-year-old is five times more likely to cause a crash than am 18-year-old, and twice as likely as an 85-year-old. To help reduce the problem, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has introduced a Graduate Driver Licensing System. In essence, this is a three-phase driving licence:

Learner's permit
At the state's minimum age, the learner's permit requires completion of vehicle skills training and tests of vision and rules-of-the-road. There must be absolutely no alcohol while driving, and a fully-licenced adult (over 21) must be in the car at all times. In addition, a record must be kept of teh number of practice hours.

Provisional licence
After at least six months of being conviction- and crash-free, and on completion of an advanced driver's education course (plus a practical on-road test), the driver can then get a provisional licence. This allows unsupervised daytime driving, but nighttime driving must be with a licenced adult, and supervised practice must be continued.

Full licence
After at least 12 months of conviction- and crash-free driving, a full licence can be issued (subject to the state's minimum-age rules).

The eleven states highlighted above have matched (or exceeded) this minimum specification, thirteen others have introduced a partial graduated system, and all are seeing a useful reduction in accidents. Oregon, for instance, with only a partial introduction of the scheme, has seen a 16% reduction in accidents in the 16-17 age group.