Driver License Renewal and Restrictions for South Dakota

Hello fellow bloggers, long time no chat. Sorry I have not posted a lot of content in the last couple weeks, I have been spending my spring break quarantining at my house! No I am not sick or have the Corona virus, I am just following the rules of social distancing. I hope all of you are safe and well, and do remember to always wash your hands.

In the State of South Dakota, you can get your permit to drive at the age of fourteen. Before you can get your permit, you have take a drivers knowledge exam or you can also take drivers education to speed up the process. After passing your test with a 80 percent or higher, you will need the last four digits of your social security, two forms of identification and one form that has your mailing address on it. Once you get your permit, you will have to drive with an adult or someone who is older then eighteen. You will also have to drive with this person for one-hundred and eighty days, unless you took drivers education.

Once the one-hundred and eighty days are up, you now have to go back to the DMV and apply for your restricted minors permit unless you took drivers education. To get your restricted minors permit, you have to take a driving test with a driving instructor from the DMV. During this test there is complete silence and you follow the instructors directions. My test only took me about seven minutes and we drove in a big square. If you pass this test you now can drive by yourself freely, but hold up there is a catch. You can only drive from six AM to ten PM. If you drive past curfew, you can get pulled over, get a ticket, and could get your restricted minors taking away. You also cannot drive in any other state outside of South Dakota unless your parent or guardian is with you. Do not worry though, this is only temporary.

After driving for quite some time with the curfew, at the age of sixteen there is no curfew and no restrictions. You have to go back to the DMV and apply for a operators license, which is basically the same process as getting your permit (forms of identification, picture, eye checked, and etc) just without taking the test. You can now drive whenever you want, and wherever you want. Do not go crazy though, you can only drive a vehicle or a moped/scooter. If caught operating with any other motor transportation such as: semi trucks, commercial, motorcycles/scooters/mopeds/ 50cc or higher, and etc. There will be some hefty fines to pay and you could lose your licences.

The last big change to your drivers licences will come when you turn twenty one. At the age of twenty one, your picture and all your information on your drivers licence get moved around and is printed horizontally on your licences. You will also see that they use a different color to differ between an adult or a child that is under or over 21.

Thank you for reading my blog and be sure to stay tuned in for more content. Be safe and remember to always keep your distance.