Many states no longer require a road test. Instead you take a state approved driving course and the instructor certifies you as meeting the state driving skill requirements. Most states with this system do have an option to still take a state administered driving test instead but most new drivers just take the course. My daughter got her license last August and we paid for the course. They didn’t teach her anything. They had her drive around the local neighborhood for the state mandated numbers of hours for the course and the “instructor” then signed off. All real driving instruction she received came from me.
In my state the real benefit of taking the course it that scheduling a road test with the DMV often has a multi-month waitlist. Then, if you fail, you have to wait another 2-3 months to retest.
A better lesson than the state approved course was paying for a morning on the skid pad at the local raceway with a real driving instrcutor. Once your young driver understands how to regain control of the car, they are much better prepared for the first emergency maneuver they will need to make while driving solo.
Most of what they need to know includes knowing road signs and road markings, right of way, going through intersections, following traffic lights, speed limits, keeping safe distance, and even recognizing aggressive and impaired drivers to stay away from. None of that they will learn on the race track.
You can definitely push the car to the limit and see what happens when you go over in a _somewhat_ controlled environment (laws of physics still apply at the race track and you can still crash). Or you can teach them that a good driver is not the one who drives fast but the one who arrives alive.
You don't want your first experience at the traction limits of the vehicle to be a time when the road is wet and a wrong move causes a head-on collision with a school bus.
In my state the motorcycle licensing works similarly in that you can skip the state test, however unlike what you described for cars, the course is excellent (standard MSF course). Also, the MSF does administer a (pretty tough) test.
It has devolved into a pay for play scheme. I cut a check for a few hundred dollars and you stamp the form saying my kid can drive. You can also take the on the road driving course through your public school at no cost but the wait for that can be extremely long. Most people in my area just pay. A parent does also have to sign the form stating the kid has completed a certain number of hours driving under a certain mix of conditions with them. I think it is a total of 45 or 50 hours.
Over the last 15 years Virginia has tried to move as many DMV processes as possible to online and closed many DMV locations to save money. The elimination of the road test for most new drivers was part of this effort.
You should’ve lead with being from Virginia. That entire state is layers of pay for play schemes. They might’ve removed road tests to “save money” but they’re more than happy to keep up car inspection, emissions, registration and a vehicle value tax.
Our previous governor tried to eliminate state safety inspections but the auto repair shops were able to successfully lobby to block it. Emissions inspections are only required in parts of the state and are a federal requirement which the state can’t avoid. As for vehicle personal property tax that is a local tax and not a state imposed tax.
The actual drivers license (the one you can get at 18yo) does require road test in most states. The learner's permit that one can get at 14yo does not require road test, but when you apply for full driver's license at 18yo you will have to take it.
In my state you can’t get a learners permit until 16. You get your drivers license after having your learners for 6 month, completing a classroom and a road driving class. There is no road driving test involved at any point.
It is state dependent, yes, but in all the states I looked at 16 you get restricted driver's license. You can drive without an adult but you cannot have more than one passenger, cannot drive at night, cannot use your phone, etc etc. In many states this still requires road test.
The "adult" driver's license can be acquired at 18.
