Ildar Sagdejev/WikiMedia Commons If you're over 18 and trying to get your first driver's license, you may be wondering if you need to take driver's ed. In most states, adults over a certain age can skip a formal driver's education class and go straight to the written and road tests, while a few states do not require any formal driver's ed at all. Driver's ed is often viewed as a teen requirement, not an adult one, but that's not entirely accurate. All U.S. states and the District of Columbia feature some form of graduated driver licensing — meaning there are tiers of privileges that drivers work toward before obtaining their license. Of the fifty states, at least five specifically require driver's ed for all first-time drivers. To be more specific, Texas requires a six-hour adult driver education course for all first-time drivers between 18 and 24 — not bad for a state known to be one of the easiest places to get a license. For example, Florida requires a drug and alcohol course (TLSAE) for first-time drivers, while Maryland and New York require driver's ed for all new drivers outright. A new proposal may stir up the nationwide driver's ed discourse Coolcaesar/WikiMedia Commons The mandatory driver's ed trend may soon expand with a recent Minnesota proposal requiring new drivers under 21 to complete driver's ed before they can obtain a license. As KSTP reported, the proposed bill would extend Minnesota's existing 30-hour requirement for those under 18 to those under 21. Research supports the idea. For example, a 2015 University of Nebraska–Lincoln study of more than 150,000 teen drivers found that those who have not completed driver's ed are much more likely to get a ticket and be involved in an accident. Even in states where you don't need to take driver's ed, you usually can't just hop into a car and practice on public roads. Every U.S. state requires at least six hours of behind-the-wheel practice while states like Florida, Nevada, and New York require 50 supervised driving hours. Most states also require a learner's permit before legally taking behind-the-wheel lessons as part of the aforementioned graduated driver licensing. So do you need driver's ed if you're over 18? The short answer is: it depends on your state. So be sure to check your state's first-time licensing requirements before you book a road test or pay for a course you may not need. Notwithstanding these points, the U.S. is far from the toughest place on Earth to earn a driver's license.
