US Driving License Question (California)

dbkrantz

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and ready to enjoy the start of this weekend.

I have a question for my fellow Americans here about driving license!

As you might know, I'm a US citizen living in London and would like to drive my driving license while on a trip near Los Angeles to see my family (Agoura Hills). I'm 23 years old and I don't have a license although I did get to driving lessons 3 years ago but never went around to passing the driving test because my trip was too short.

I will be in LA from December 9th to 3rd January. And I am hoping to take lessons on the 11th, 12th, 13th and some with my family. Do you think six hours of driving would be enough if I drive with my family as well? I am not completely dumb when it comes to driving, and I have some common sense, and know most of the rules already.

Also, do you think 3 weeks is long enough to get a behind the wheel test in? I am going to reserve the 3 days of driving today and pass the test on Monday 10th at the DMV to get the permit. As soon as I have the permit in my hands, i will go book an appointment. Do you think that strategy is any good?

Anyways, any tips, tricks, recommendations and anything would be helpful at this point? It's making me super nervous because having a license would be so much easier considering my family's house is kind of far from everything and it would just be great not to rely on my family showing me around.

Anyway, would love to get your ideas on this ! And any advice on a good driving school in Agoura/Thousand Oaks would also be great!

Thanks guys and enjoy your week end!

Deborah

dbkrantz

Anyone?

stines72

If you're over 18 you do not need a permit you just take the test and if you pass you have a license. Not sure about the other parts that's all I know.

Erienneb

I'm not exactly sure the differences in CA compared to where I live in Illinois, but my driving test was not that hard. If you're confident, I think that time frame is completely doable.

mamaward64

www.dmv.ca.gov

I don't think you need a permit but you do need to take the written and the driving before getting an interim licence. Please review the california dmv website for more information.
I do believe if you are careful you can learn and be confident in just 3 weeks albeit driving daily.
Happy motoring.

d_Mode

You should be fine regarding your time frame...once you pass your test, driving in LA can be very tricky. Make sure you know where you are going and be ready for lots of traffic!

newcs

I'm in MA so I can't speak to CA laws but in MA, a person who is actually a pretty good driver can easily fail the test because they're looking for specific things. One of the hard parts is that if you learn from family, you might be learning things that aren't necessarily unsafe but they're not what they're looking for on the road test.

I wouldn't try to get your license if you're only here for a month since it'll probably take more time for your family to drive with you and take you to the DMV/RMV than just to give you a ride when you need it. I'd rather spend that time with family doing more fun things than driving lessons. If you think you'll use it significantly in the future, it might be worth it.

Do you drive in another country? If you're starting from scratch, I wouldn't really expect to pass with a couple days of prep. If you already drive in another country, it may be possible.

Make sure to find out what the requirements are as well. If you plan to take the test in a personal vehicle rather than a driving school's vehicle, make sure it's properly registered, insured and in good working order. I let someone use my car for their test in MA and the instructor failed them because they said the emergency brake was not working well enough even though I brought it to the dealership after to be tested and it was fine.

Also, consider that you might not be insured to drive someone else's vehicle. Make sure whoever's vehicle you drive checks with their insurance agent to make sure because you may or may not be covered in case of an accident.

Katbody10

I live in CA .. over 18 .. you don't need a permit .. you need to have taken a driver's ED behind the wheel course (certification) .. .. you just need to pass the driver's ed test (written) and then their behind the wheel thing .. drive around the block ..

dbkrantz

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for all your helpful answers.

I was actually hoping to get driving classes everyday for like 5 days and then driving with family and then take the behind the wheel test as soon as I could.

Since I am over 18, I don't have to wait a certain amount of time to pass the behind the wheel test. It just depends on whether or not I can get an appointment.

I don't drive in France, but I have taken driving classes in LA 3 years ago as I mentionned and after like 3 classes I think, she said "one more and you'll be ready for the behind the wheel". I am hoping that what I have learned will come back with the help of the instructor.

I think what I might do is pass the writing test, get the permit (which I do need according to the DMV) and schedule a driving test like a week later or something and then continue to book appointment until I pass it.

But I take your points on having an instructor rather than family. I will do a combination of both.

Thanks for your help guys! And any more tips please, I would be happy to hear from everyone!

Deborah