Drivers Training

Now that you have your temporary permit, you're ready to start gaining experience with actual behind-the-wheel practice.

State Requirements

Ohio requires drivers under the age of 18 to complete at least 50 hours of driving (accompanied by a licensed adult), with 10 of those hours completed at night.

The 50-hour rule was created to help insure that younger teens were getting the driving experience they needed as well as developing their driving skills, all under the watchful eye of a parent, legal guardian, or certified driving instructor.

When you've met these requirements, a parent or guardian must sign an affidavit (available at deputy registrar's branches) stating that you indeed have completed the hours.

Make the Most of Practice Time

To get the most out of these 50 hours, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles has designed an excellent voluntary program, called The Driving Challenge, for you to do with your parent or guardian.

The program simply gives suggestions on how to proceed with your driving time. It covers topics such as setting goals to accomplish, developing plans, figuring how where to drive, and suggested lesson guides.

Learning how to drive can be a stressful experience for both the you and your parent, and this program might help defuse some possible tense situations.

The Skills Test

The skills test consists of three basic parts: an initial vehicle inspection, then the maneuverability, and driving tests.

If you fail one of the skills tests, don't worry. You can try again after seven days. You only have to take the section you failed again. If you fail the driving skills test four times, you'll have to wait six months, apply for a new permit packet, and start the process all over.

When you pass the skills test, congratulations! You're ready now to apply for your real driver license.

For complete details about license application processes, please see the Teen Drivers page on this site.

You can also check out the BMV pamphlet, Graduated Licensing.

Tips for New Drivers

Here's a little friendly advice for new drivers from someone who's been there. They don't teach you everything in school!

• Don't order mega-size drinks at the drive-through. They tip over in the drink holders when you turn or stop, and if you hold the drink between your legs for stability, then you can't operate the floor pedals.

• Don't try to eat a sandwich or burger while you're driving. The mayonnaise-covered tomatoes will fall into your lap and you'll have to make a snap decision between swerving to the curb (bad) or leaving the grease stain on your jeans (bad).

• Don't make or receive calls on your cell phone while you are driving. It's bad karma, everyone else on the road will be irritated with you, and you won't realize you're going too slow and swerving all over the place until you cause an accident. Same goes for applying makeup while driving: just don't!

• Don't under any circumstances send a text message when you're at the wheel. The police officer won't be sympathetic when you explain that you absolutely, positively could not wait until you pulled off the road to text "c u soon" to your best friend, so instead you rear-ended someone while your eyes and thumbs were busy on the keypad.

• Don't be lame and give in to peer pressure. If some nimrod in the back seat says, "How fast can this thing go?" ignore them―they're not the one who will get busted or cause an accident. Someone in the car has to be the grown-up: you.

• Don't panic and jump out of the car if you notice a bee on the inside of the windshield. Ever seen your car roll down the street without a driver? You don't want to.

• Do wear your seatbelt every time you get into a car, even for a short ride. Something as common as stopping suddenly to avoid a cat darting across the street can cause your face to meet your steering wheel. The results won't be pretty, and your prom date will find an excuse to back out.

• Do be vigilant for other drivers who are not as with it as you are, and keep your distance. You never know when they will decide to enter your space (since they won't bother to signal), and the element of surprise isn't as fun on the road as it is at a birthday party.

• Do install a dog barrier in the back of your car before taking Rover for a ride. Rover will want to be in the front seat with you, and trying to swat him back with one hand while steering with the other is a sure way to take out a whole line of parked cars.

• Do obey speed limits so that you will have time to react should an unexpected obstacle (a person, another car, an animal) appear. Besides, no one will believe you got that huge dent going "only 10 miles an hour."

• Do listen to your stereo at a low enough volume that you can hear emergency sirens. Those fire trucks are a lot bigger than you, so you'll want to know one is approaching before it runs you over.

• Do take it easy, pay attention, and take the rules of the road seriously. In a few years when you can honestly say you've never had a ticket or an accident, people will respect you, and it will be an enormous point of pride.