As Florida teens head back to school, many of them will be eagerly awaiting another important rite of passage: getting their learner’s permit and, eventually, a driver's license. Here in Florida, teens are eligible for a learner’s permit once they turn 15. However, budget and staffing cuts have resulted in longer wait times.
Our Broward County traffic attorneys recently read some tips on making the process easier, which we’ll share below.
Make an appointment online. Often this will allow you to wait in a shorter line, inside with air conditioning rather than outside in the heat.
Ask your teen to do the written tests online. They’ll want to do this well in advance, because they’ll have to wait for a certificate of completion to arrive in the mail for their drug and alcohol test. The written driving test can also be completed online, and gets you a waiver number to bypass taking the test in person.
When in doubt, bring extra documents! There’s a lengthy list of items that Florida drivers are expected to bring to the DMV, so make sure you bring all originals of your required documents or you may have to make a repeat trip.
Source: South Florida parents share their stories and advice, South Florida Sun Sentinel, August 23, 2010
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