Driver Education - Student Driver

Driver Education

Helping high school students complete the state requirements for Driver Education.

In the tenth grade health and physical education class, students complete a 30 hour course of classroom driver education. Students must attend a 90-minute parent-teen traffic safety program: Partners for Safe Teen Driving.

Classroom driver education is also offered through Adult and Community Education (ACE) in the summer.

Driver Education Information (VDOE)

Licensing Requirements (18 years old or younger)

To get your driver's license in Virginia, you must

Once those requirements have been met, you will be issued a 180 day Temporary Driver’s License.

You will then be issued your Permanent Driver’s License.

Students who are not US citizens may be eligible for a driver privilege card.  A driver privilege card allows individuals to be a legal driver without proof of legal presence or US citizenship.

Detailed Information

  • Must be at least 15 years and 6 months old

  • Must complete a two-part exam

    • Signs: 10 signs, must score 100%
    • Knowledge: 25 questions, must score 80%
    • The exam is available in multiple languages
    • Offered at most high schools
    Register to take the Learner's Permit Test
  • Must pass a vision test
  • Documents proving residency and legal presence are presented to DMV
  • Must have a learner’s permit for a minimum of 9 months for licensing

Classroom Driver Education includes 30 hours of instruction

Topics include

  • Virginia traffic laws
  • Vehicle operating procedures
  • Management of visibility, time, and space when driving
  • Characteristics of different driving environments
  • Effects of drugs, alcohol, and fatigue on driving
  • Use of occupant protection features such as seatbelts and airbags
  • Sharing the roadway with other users including pedestrians, school buses, bicycles, emergency vehicles
  • Financial responsibilities of vehicle ownership

Students must attend a 90-minute parent-teen traffic safety program: Partners for Safe Teen Driving.

  • Occurs in the evening as part of grade 10 classroom driver education
  • Additional sessions are offered through ACE
Register for Partners for Safe Teen Driving with ACE

A Driver Education Certificate of Completion (DEC-District 8/pink card) is issued after passing classroom driver education. This includes

  • a summative assessment.
  • and attending Partners for Safe Teen Driving.

Classes meet for 7 days.

Eligibility

  • Must have a learner’s permit
  • Must have a DEC-District 8 card or be able to present a concurrent enrollment form prior to the first behind-the-wheel class

Lessons Cover

  • Basic vehicle control skills
  • Driving in residential, rural, city, and freeway (where available) setting
  • Administration of the Virginia Road Skills Evaluation is included
Register for Behind the Wheel with ACE

  • Must be completed with a licensed driver
    • The licensed driver must be 18 or older if they are a family member
    • The licensed driver must be 21 or older if they are not a family member
  • 15 hours must be driven after sunset
45-hour Parent/Teen Driving Guide

  • Issued after all juvenile licensing requirements are met
  • Valid for 180 days
  • Within 180 days, the student will receive notification to attend the licensing ceremony in Juvenile and Domestic Court

  • Parent or guardian and student must attend the licensing ceremony.
  • Must be on time and dressed appropriately for court.
  • License is issued and given to the parent or guardian. The parent or guardian determines when the child can drive unsupervised.

A driver privilege card is a license for people who are Virginia residents but not US citizens.

Eligibility

To be eligible, students must:

  • Be at least age 16 years and 3 months.
  • Be a Virginia resident who is not a US citizen.
  • Have reported income from Virginia sources or are claimed as a dependent on a tax return filed in Virginia in the last 12 months.
  • Your driving privilege is not currently suspended or revoked in Virginia or any other state.

REAL ID

Is not REAL ID-compliant.  It cannot be used to board an airplane or enter a secure federal facility.

Steps to get a driver privilege card

  1. Get a learner’s permit.
  2. Complete driver education and all licensing requirements.
  3. Pass a road skills test at the DMV.  Directions to take the road skills test will be sent to you in the mail