Do You Need To Take Driver's Ed If You're Over 18?

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.

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.