If you want to drive a car or small truck in Maine, you only officially need driver training if you're younger than 18. But the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) does require road tests to obtain driver's licenses. So unless you've been driving for years on private property―which can happen in Maine, especially northern Maine―driver training is going to be a good idea for first-time drivers, no matter how old.

Top Driver Training Basics

Maine makes certain provisions for driver training, but mostly leaves it up to drivers themselves to actually seek out driver training and get it done. Here are the rules:

• Anyone younger than 18 has to take a state-approved driver's education course in order to apply for a learner's permit. The permit is required to get a license.

  These driving training course offer 30 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of on-the-road training in preparation for the required road test.

• Maine offers a learner's permit to anyone 15 or older who has taken driver's education. The permit is designed to allow student drivers to have on-road training.
  Anyone who doesn't have a driver's license and wants to get behind the wheel of a car―regardless of age―must have a permit. Permits allow new drivers to drive alongside a licensed driver who can offer instruction and assistance.

• Before anyone younger than 21 can apply to take the road test, Maine also requires them to wait at least six months after obtaining the learner's permit. They must also complete 35 hours of driving (five hours of night driving) while under the guidance of a parent, stepparent, guardian, spouse, or employer. This person must certify the driver's training time on a Maine BMV driving log.

Top Where to Find Driver Training

You're going to need both 30 hours of classroom and 10 hours of road training. Here are some ideas for how to find both:

• Still in high school? Find out if your school offers driver education with student driving or if your school has contracted with a private, state-approved driving school.

• You can find a private driving school by looking on the Web, in the yellow pages, or on the Web site for MEDEA, the Maine Driver's Education Association. MEDEA's Web site lists approved driving schools by county.

• Hit up someone with a license to sit next to you while you practice driving. It doesn't even need to be a parent; you can use a stepparent, older brother or sister, or family friend. Remember, this person needs to be over 20 years old, have been licensed for two consecutive years, and have no suspensions or revocations on record during that time.

Top Why Take Driver Training?

• If you're under 18 and you want to drive at all, you have to.

• Driver training can often reduce the additional insurance cost of adding a new driver to the family's policy.

• Driver training can remove BMV points from your license.

• Driver training can improve a new driver's confidence, awareness, and safety.

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