It's time to start the process of achieving that massive sense of freedom that comes with getting your real driver's license. You can finally drive by yourself and go wherever your heart desires. First, however, you will need to have your driver's permit for a period of time before getting the real deal driver's license. If you follow everything laid out in the information to come, you can have your real driver's license in your hand in the shortest amount of time possible.

Obtaining a Learner's Permit

In order to get that full-freedom driver's license, you've got to start with the initial step of getting a learner's permit. The entire U.S. requires that teens get a learners permit before being allowed on the roads alone. To receive your learner's permit, or instructional permit, you will need to:

  • Pass an eye exam.
  • Show an ability to read road signs.
  • Pass a written driving exam.

After successfully completing of this testing, you can legally plop down behind the wheel and drive so long as you have a licensed adult supervising you. The supervision is required and standard for any state licensing program. Qualified supervision will vary by state but is usually a parent, legal guardian, or other licensed family member.

Note: For obtaining an official driver's license, you have to have a learner's permit for a specified amount of time that each state requires before you can apply for your official license. State requirements dictate that you must spend a specified amount of hours driving under supervision, which must be logged. You should learn useful road moves like parallel parking, y-turns, and general parking practice.

Moving toward a Restricted Driver's License

Before graduating to a restricted driver's license, you must complete your learner's permit requirements. You can consider the restricted license the middle point between your learner's permit and official driver's license. You've still got a bit of work left before getting all the way there, so look below at some of the things you have left to complete:

  • Successfully passing a road test. It would be a good idea to take a driver's education course for some real hands-on training.
  • Successfully passing a written DMV test and vision assessment. You need to be able to prove adequate vision and ability to heed to road signs. You can study for this by grabbing a state driving manual.
  • Must prove the required hours of driving time have been met through logging. Driver's ed teachers and whoever has been driving with you must sign off on the hours. Then you must provide a licensing operator with the documentation.

Receiving the Official Driver's License

You've finally earned your ticket to freedom, aka your official driver's license. Though you have a lot more freedom than before, there are still some restrictions for those under 18:

  • Curfew
  • Limit on passengers
  • Age requirements for passengers

Similar to the instructional permit, you must keep your restricted license in good standing for the required amount of time set by your state. Once the time is up, you've got the go-ahead for getting your official driver's license.

In many cases, you will need to pass the same qualifying test you previously completed, but it should be even easier this time around. You've already done it, right? Just take some time to go over what you need to know for your tests so you can take hold of that brand new driver's license and soak up the freedom that it provides.