JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starting July 1, Florida teenagers will have some new requirements to earn their learner’s permit thanks to a new state law.
One big change is that they will have to take a driver’s education course beforehand.
Once the law takes effect, teens between 15 and 17 years old must complete a driver’s ed course that the state approves.
They will also have to pass a vision and hearing test, a class E knowledge exam, and get a parent or guardian to sign a consent form to get a learner’s permit.
Shane Sheffield’s 16-year-old son got his license in November 2024.
Sheffield says teens taking a driver’s ed class before being able to get behind the wheel is not a bad idea.
“There needs to be plenty of driving training,” he said. “The more driving training, the better. I think if they start early, especially for new drivers, not everybody has parents who are diligent about the training. It takes a lot of time for them to be ready to drive on their own.”
Senate Bill 994, which hits the books on July 1, comes in the middle of the “100 Deadliest Days”: The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which is considered the most dangerous for teenage drivers to be behind the wheel.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash during this time.
Research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows teenagers are three times more likely to be killed in a car crash.
They crash almost four times as much per mile driven as drivers who are at least 20 years old.
The National Road Safety Foundation says teen drivers are 20% more likely to be involved in a crash during the 100 Deadliest Days than at any other time during the year.
David Childers is the senior driving instructor and owner of 10 and 2 Traffic School, where he has given driving lessons to hundreds of teenagers in Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties over the last three years.
Childers said teens can benefit from a driver’s education course because time behind the wheel in a learning environment gives them time to adjust.
“Learning more of the traffic laws and the signs and knowing the different markings on the roadways and different features that they are going to encounter while on the roadway prior to getting into the car,” Childers said. “Doing this day in and day out, the kids who get formal lessons compared to some who we test who do not have formal lessons, you can definitely see where there would be a dramatic improvement.”
Natalie Bryan is a retired teacher who taught physical education in Duval County for 37 years.
She said during her long career, one of her responsibilities was to instruct a “life skills” class. A part of the curriculum included doing some lessons on driving.
“Even as an adult, you think you know everything, or you know all there is about driving because you have been doing it,” Bryan said. “But there’s always something that you may not know or did not realize.”
The new state law also has new requirements for people 18 years old and older who are applying to get their driver’s license in Florida.
They will have to complete a traffic law and substance abuse education course. They can become exempt from that if they have a license in a different state or have completed a driver’s ed course in the past.
Before the new law, the state only mandated teenagers to take a traffic law and substance course before they could earn their learner’s permit.
Teens with a learner’s permit are only allowed to drive with people 21 years old or older in the car, and they have to complete 50 hours of driving before they take their test to get their license.
According to the National Road Safety Foundation, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America.
