South Dakota Online driver education

South Dakota Online Driver Education and Licensing Procedures

Congratulations on starting the process of applying for your South Dakota Learner’s Permit or first South Dakota driver’s license. South Dakota has a “Graduated Driver License Program()”:http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/driver_licensing/teen_drivers.aspx for South Dakota teen drivers, and there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure that applying for your first South Dakota driver’s license goes as smoothly as possible. So let’s get started.

The South Dakota Instruction Permit or South Dakota Learner’s Permit

When you turn 14, you can finally apply for a South Dakota Instruction Permit, otherwise known as a South Dakota Learner’s Permit. In order to apply, you need:

“Valid identification()”:http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/driver_licensing/obtain_a_license.aspx (an original birth certificate)
Social Security Card or number
Your parent/guardian to sign the application form
The “South Dakota Driver Manual()”:http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/driver_licensing/images/Drivers%20Manual%202008.pdf (to study for the written test)
Optional South Dakota approved driver education course (which will cut down your wait time for the South Dakota Operator License by 90 days!)

Once you’re ready, head on down to your local South Dakota Driver Exam Station with your parent or guardian and submit your application. Then, you’ll have to take a vision test, as well as a written exam. If you survive, then congratulations. You’ve just earned your South Dakota Instruction Permit, which is valid for 1 year. Remember, you must practice driving with your parent, guardian, driving instructor, or licensed driver who is at least 18, has held a valid driver license for 1 year, and is sitting beside you. Of course, all passengers must wear seatbelts, and be sure to carry your South Dakota Instruction Permit with you at all times.

Once you’ve held your South Dakota Instruction Permit for 180 days and have met a few more requirements, you’ll be ready for the next step in the South Dakota Graduated License Program, the South Dakota Conditional License. However, if you’ve taken a South Dakota approved driver education course, this will cut down your wait time for the South Dakota Operator License by 90 days!

At 15, you can also apply for a South Dakota Minor’s Permit, which means you’ll have to pass the vision, knowledge, and driving tests. You must show all documents as listed above for the South Dakota Instruction Permit. The South Dakota Minor’s Permit is valid for 5 years and entitles you to drive between the hours of 6AM and 10PM, provided you have parental consent.

The South Dakota Provisional License or South Dakota Operator License

You can apply for your South Dakota Operator License once you’ve held your South Dakota Instruction Permit for 180 days. Make an appointment and head on down to your local South Dakota Driver Exam Station. Be sure to bring your identification documents, including your South Dakota Instruction Permit. Then you’ll have to take the dreaded South Dakota road test! If you pass, then congratulations. You’ve just earned your South Dakota Operator License, which is valid for 5 years.

South Dakota Teen Driver License Restrictions and Penalties

Although with supervision, you can still drive at any time, there are a few restrictions concerning your South Dakota Restricted Minor’s Permit:

No driving between the hours of 10PM and 6PM unless accompanied by your parent or guardian

Once you earn your South Dakota Operator’s License, you can finally drive unrestricted. Freedom!

South Dakota Auto Insurance Financial Responsibility Laws

Once you receive your South Dakota Limited Provisional Driver license, you’re ready to drive—or are you? Not quite yet, because South Dakota drivers are required by law to be covered by “liability insurance()”:http://legis.state.sd.us/statutes/DisplayStatute.aspx?Statute=32-35&Type=Statute. The minimum liability insurance coverage is:

$25,000 bodily injury for one person
$50,000 bodily injury two or more people
$25,000 for property damage per accident

A special note: you must also secure coverage for underinsured/uninsured motorists! If you are in an accident and found to be driving without South Dakota mandatory liability insurance, your South Dakota license could be suspended.

South Dakota Drunk Driving, Cell Phone, and Text Messaging Laws

As a South Dakota teen driver, it’s important for you to learn the South Dakota drunk driving, cell phone, and text messaging laws. Like most state, South Dakota has a Zero Tolerance Law for underage drinking, and if you are convicted of a South Dakota DUI or South Dakota DWI, you face addition penalties to those listed below.

Upon your first conviction of a South Dakota DUI with a blood alcohol concentration of .10, you’ll face the following penalties:

Jail sentence up to 1 year
Fine of $1,000
License Suspension 30 days to 1 year

And of course, further South Dakota DWI and DUI convictions will result in increased jail time, community service, fines, and South Dakota license suspension or even South Dakota license revocation.

Currently, South Dakota teen drivers are not prohibited from using cell phones while driving.