As of July 1, driving licenses will be far harder to acquire for one group of drivers as recently passed laws include far more stringent educational requirements for securing the learner’s license permit in the first place. While many aspiring drivers from this group are concerned, it is important to know what this new driving license laws in this state could mean for this group of citizens and their families.
New law for acquiring the driver’s license
In Florida, the process to gain a driver’s license is more tedious because of Senate Bill 994 which states that all teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 must complete a classroom driver’s education course prior to acquiring a learner’s license. Before this law was passed, teenagers merely needed to complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course.
Senator Jay Collins (who is also the father of a teenager who will be driving soon) stated that he is all in favor of measures which will keep teenagers safer on the roads. Advocators for this new law assert that classroom-based instructions will be considerably helpful for teenagers learning about the dangers they may encounter when driving.
Why are teenagers not too enthusiastic about this law?
The reasoning behind this law is to promote safety on the roads, however, the law seems to have not considered the teenagers from rural and low-income areas. Gaining access to these classroom driver’s educational classes will be easy as it will be spread across the state, but it may not be as cheap and flexible as the prior online TLSAE course.
With the new rule in place, teenagers will have to find in-person venues to take these classes so as to gain Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) approval. In certain districts, these programs could be full. At the moment, not much is told to respective school officials as to how they will be able to meet all that is required of them.
Families restricted by budget constraints may find these laws financially overwhelming and it may seem like an added expense that they never had to consider before.
The process to acquire a permit in Florida
To understand the full process, we need to look at the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles information and explore the full process of getting a driver’s license:
- At 15 years old, teenagers must complete a classroom educational course that has been approved by
- FLHSMV.
- The hearing and vision test will need to be complete with the Class E Knowledge exam that features 50 questions and requires a pass rate of 80%.
- Documentation required by teens include their Social Security number, proof of identity and residency. Parental Consent Forms are also needed for minors.
- Once learner’s license is acquired, teens must take 50 hours of supervised driving lessons.
- A learner’s license permit must be kept for a year before the driver can apply for the full driver’s license only at 16 years or older.
Nighttime driving is still restricted for teenagers who need to be accompanied by a license adult when driving during certain hours and at certain ages. All these measures are taken to ensure independence and good decision making when driving on the roads in Florida. Florida is one of the states imposing widespread bans on driver’s licenses too.
What happens now that this law has been passed?
The new law has been passed, and families are expected to take action by liaising with school districts or even driver’s education providers to gain a full overview of this legislation and how it may affect their teenager. The wait to get one’s driver’s license is far longer in Florida but the hope is that this dragged-out process will lead to better younger drivers in Florida state. Florida also introduced the super speeder law where there will be a fine and jail time for speeding.
