Buckle Up! A Comprehensive Guide On Learning To Drive As An Adult

riving is often necessary in the modern day. Unless you live in a very walkable city or a place with robust public transport, chances are, it’s difficult for you to get around without a car (and honestly, even then, there are still sometimes situations where walking or taking the bus just won’t cut it). At the same time, learning to drive is often a daunting task, and as an adult learner, you might feel behind. Maybe you found driving too anxiety-inducing as a teenager, or maybe your parents couldn’t devote the resources to teaching you. Maybe you grew up somewhere where driving wasn’t necessary, or maybe life or health issues just got in the way.

Whatever the case, you’re here now. It’s never too late to start (or continue) learning to drive as an adult. Today, we’ll go over:

• Obtaining your permit
• Practicing driving 
• Obtaining your license

Getting Your Adult Learner’s Permit

No road test yet – just a whole lot of studying

Though you’ve decided you’re ready to get behind the wheel, you need to do a little more prep work first – namely, getting a learner’s permit (also known as a driving permit or instruction permit, depending on your state). A permit will allow you to drive as long as you have someone else with a driver’s license in your passenger seat. Depending on your state, your passenger may have to be over 21 in order to qualify (and may need to have held their driver’s license for a certain amount of time).

In many states, as long as you’re an adult learner, you don’t need to have completed a drivers ed course in order to apply for your permit – however, some states define “adult” learners as 18+, and others as 21+, so if you’re in the 18-20 range, you’ll want to double-check what definition your state uses. If you’ve had an alcohol or drug conviction and were required to take a remedial driving course, you may need to complete a new driver's ed course. Some states, such as Maryland, require all new drivers to complete a driver's ed course, but only after gaining their permit. It all depends.

Now, as for actually getting your permit, there are only a few steps:

1. Look at your DMV website! They’ll tell you everything you need to know. We can certainly give you general/broad information, but certain things, like fees, will vary state-by-state.

2. Get a copy of your state driver's manual, and start studying. They won’t be testing your driving skills yet, but you’ll be expected to pass a knowledge test. You can often find a PDF of the manual on your DMV website, or you can even go there and pick one up in person. Your DMV website will also have links to (free, and very helpful) practice exams you can take to prepare. Don’t be afraid to ask someone if you don’t understand something in the manual – when I was learning how to drive, I had to ask my brothers to draw me a diagram showing how right of way worked in roundabouts.

(❗TIP❗: Try incorporating little quizzes into your everyday routine – you can even invite friends or family to help. This can be as simple as trying to identify road signs while you’re walking around or riding in the passenger seat, and it will make it feel a lot less intimidating when you finally sit down for your test.)

3. Make an appointment at your state DMV. Most DMVs will allow you to make the appointment online. You may be expected to pay a fee for your testing and for your permit, either at the time of making your appointment or when you arrive.

4. Get your identification documents ready. Exactly what types of documents will be required (and what will/won’t be accepted) will vary depending on your state, but generally, you’ll need something with a written signature, something establishing your date of birth, something with your social security number, and something establishing your residency. Be ready to show these at your appointment.

5. Show up 15 minutes early. Maybe it’s the military brat in me, but it’s generally a good rule of thumb – this can help accommodate for if the DMV is super busy, and if you’re lucky, they may be able to squeeze you in early. If not, you’ll still have time to breathe a little bit, and maybe get in some extra studying.

6. Ace your vision exam. If you have glasses or contact lenses, you’ll be permitted to wear them (and you definitely want to). Just let them know, so they can mark on your permit that you use corrective lenses. If you use telescopic lenses, they might have you do some additional testing. The minimum requirement for an unrestricted license is 20/40 vision (with or without corrective lenses) – if you don’t meet it, you may be restricted to daylight driving.

7. Take your knowledge test. Don’t worry, you’ve got this. How it’s conducted may vary – when I was tested, I was led to a computer in a back room and left on my own to work on it. 

8. And that’s it! Provided you pass your vision and knowledge tests, you’ll get your permit.

Practicing Driving

Getting yourself on the road

The exact requirements for how much behind-the-wheel driving you need before getting your license vary state-by-state – Illinois, for example, recommends that you have at least 50 hours behind the wheel before testing for your license, but has no official requirement for taking a course or logging your hours, and doesn’t require you to hold your permit for any specific amount of time (though, of course, you should still practice enough to pass your driving test). Meanwhile, Maryland requires 30 hours of a driver's education course, 6 hours of a behind-the-wheel course, and a minimum amount of supervised driving that must be completed and logged (60 hours if you’re age 19-24, 14 hours if you’re 25+). Maryland also has a minimum holding period (3 months if you’re 19-24, 45 days if you’re 25+) for your permit before you can be issued your license.

Completing drivers ed

If you never completed a driver's ed course in high school (whether your school didn’t offer it, you didn’t complete high school, or for any other reason), or have had a prior conviction, you may be required to complete a driver's education course as an adult, depending on what state you live in. For your required classroom hours, you won’t be behind the wheel – because of this, many programs offer the choice between in-person and online courses. The exact program is up to you, but you’ll want to make sure the program you choose is state-certified; otherwise, your state won’t recognize the hours you spent (your DMV website should have a list of all their approved providers).

Behind-the-Wheel

Whether or not you’re required to take a specific behind-the-wheel course is up to your state. Unlike the supervised driving requirement (which can usually be supervised by any licensed adult, with some state-dependent caveats), your behind-the-wheel training is conducted by a certified instructor. Don’t feel shy about working with an instructor – they’re not judging you for being an adult. Any required behind-the-wheel course time is in addition to your supervised driving time, so if you’re a Maryland driver, for example, you’ll technically need 66 hours on the road (6 hours of mandatory behind-the-wheel training, and 60 hours of supervised driving). 

Driving Tips

Now, onto the nitty-gritty: actually driving. Luckily, we have some tips to make it easier.

• Choose your teacher carefully – and don’t be afraid to switch. Some people find learning from a loved one (such as a friend, family member, or partner) to be easier. Others find that working with a hired instructor is more comfortable, as they’re more likely to act professionally (and not start an argument in the car), and don’t have the same bad habits the average person might (such as not following other cars at the proper distance, or keeping their hands at 10 and 2). Everyone has their pros and cons. The important thing is to find someone who creates a calm, stress-free environment for you, but is also willing to point out your mistakes before they become habits.
• Start slow. A stressed or uncomfortable driver is more prone to making mistakes – while you’ll eventually need to face your fears and get on the road (and eventually the highway), make sure you’re comfortable just driving around a parking lot and can react how you need to (e.g. hitting the correct pedal when your supervisor/instructor tells you to brake suddenly), as well as understand your vehicle’s response times (such as how long it takes for the vehicle to come to a complete stop when you start to brake).
• When starting out, practice at a less busy time of day, or on more isolated roads. Eventually, you’ll need to get used to driving in higher amounts of traffic, but at the start, it’s a lot easier to focus on the road when nobody else is on it (just be sure to keep an eye out – just because there’s usually not someone on your stretch of road doesn’t mean there won’t ever be). 
• Without putting yourself in danger, put yourself in uncomfortable situations. If you hate making left turns, do a lot of left turns – with enough time, something anxiety-inducing simply becomes monotonous. My dad made me spend an entire driving lesson mostly driving through adjacent roundabouts, and while I still don’t like roundabouts, I can take them without wanting to cry now.
• Watch out for animals. Deer, especially, can be damaging to your car, and are most active at dawn and dusk. Go slowly at these times (provided you aren’t impeding the flow of traffic), especially around corners, and remember that if you see one deer, chances are there are more. If you’re about to hit a deer, brake, don’t swerve (and no, speeding up won’t help – the Mythbusters already got to that one). It’s safer to hit the deer than it is to hit another driver, or to swerve and potentially hit a tree or roll your car over.
• If you feel like you can’t drive, pull over. Whether you’re battling inclement weather or your heart’s pounding from a near-miss encounter, sometimes it’s best to just pull over and give yourself a moment to settle, or let the weather pass. Make sure you’re in a safe environment to do so – if you’re on the highway, you can pull onto the shoulder, but if you’re driving through town or a city, you’ll want to find a place to park, like a parking lot (if you do pull onto the highway shoulder, just be sure to turn your hazards on so others can see you, especially if it’s dark or otherwise low-visibility). You should do this even as a seasoned driver. Better to be a little late than to be hours late (at best) because you were pulled over or got into an accident.
• If you can’t see around a corner, roll down your window. If you’re driving near a lot of blind curves, rolling down your window can help you hear if another car is coming. Still be careful, but it’s better than taking the curve or turn completely blind.
• Don’t rely on having a passenger, but you can ask them for help. If you’re nervous about something like changing lanes, it doesn’t hurt to ask your passenger to watch and make sure no one’s in your blind spot – they’ll often have a different field of view than you do. 
• Don’t rely on other drivers to have common sense. Just because they don’t have a turn signal on doesn’t mean they aren’t turning – keep an eye on the people around you. If you’re trying to turn or change lanes, but the person in the oncoming lane or the lane you’re trying to turn into doesn’t seem to be slowing down, don’t trust them to change their speed at the last minute. If they’re trying to race you for it, just let them win.
• Be careful with your brights (and pay attention to other people’s). They’re useful when driving in the dark, but make sure you have them off when driving towards someone, or you will blind them. Some people may also flash their brights (turn them on and off in quick succession) to warn you of something up ahead, like a speed trap or something in the road. They might also be warning you that your own brights are on when they shouldn’t be, or that there’s something wrong with your car that you can’t see, such as a broken headlight. 

Getting Your License

You’re almost there!

You did it! You completed any driver's education courses that you needed to, and you held your permit for however long your state requires. You completed your supervised hours of driving, and if necessary, you logged your hours as proof. Now it’s time to take your on-the-road test – it can feel daunting, but the person testing you won’t ask you to do anything crazy. It’ll most likely be pretty short, and they’ll primarily test you on making sure you drive safely (obeying posted speed limits, watching the traffic around you, etc) and can perform certain maneuvers (such as backing up, parking, and turning). At the end of the test, you’ll be told if you passed or failed, and be given specific feedback.

If you pass, you’ll get your license (most likely a temporary paper one, at first) – and if not, no worries! It’s not the end of the world, and it’s actually surprisingly common to fail the first time. Just get some more practice under your belt, with special focus on any criticisms you were given after your first test. It can be frustrating in the moment, but soon enough, you’ll have your license.

That’s it for our guide on learning how to drive as an adult. Feel free to bookmark this and come back to it as you need, and if you have any tips on what helped you learn to drive, feel free to drop them in the comments!