Driving Laws in Florida (Sarasota: rental car, rental, insurance)

[True Brit]

Could anyone advise me about the Florida driving laws with regard to non US driving licences and in particular for under 21 year olds.

My son is 18 and will be spending two months in Sarasota in the summer staying with his friend’s family who own a house there. In England he will have had a full licence for 14 months and his friend for a year. They are used to driving around SE London (which is very busy and congested) with no mishaps.

They were wondering if there was anyway that they could drive during their stay as everything is very spread out in Sarasota and I am not sure about the public transport options. How do teenagers living in Sarasota get around?
At the moment I am just trying to determine what the state laws are so I can give him the facts. We can then discuss whether it is safe, a good/bad idea, financially possible etc.

Is it prohibited to rent a car using a non US driving license when you are 18?

If his friend’s family bought a car to use when they are in the U.S. would it be legal and possible for an 18 year old to get insured and drive it on a U.K. licence?

Is it possible for a non-resident 18 year old to take the Florida driving test? If so how would you organise this? Do you have lessons from a driving instructor?

Is it usual/unusual for 18 year olds to drive in Sarasota? How much is the insurance?

Where could I get hold of a copy of the Florida 'Highway Code'? (That is what it is called in the UK, maybe it is called something different in Florida).
Many Thanks for any information.

[SoFLGal]

Sarasota county has a very good bus system so that would be one way to get around. Here's a link to the public transportation: Sarasota County Government The public transportation is not nearly as good as what you would find in London though and, like you said, it is much more spread out in Sarasota.

Once you turn 15 you can apply for a learner's permit, which has restrictions like certain times you can drive, etc. When you turn 16 you can take a written test, eye test and driving test to obtain your permanent drivers license. Here's the website where you can see what is needed to pass the test:Official Website Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles I think they also have a copy of the driver's handbook available online.

I would assume they have some type of temporary reciprocal agreement with the UK but if you are looking to become permanent residents you would need to get a FL driver's License.

You might want to call an insurance company and rental car company for the answers to your other questions.

I think the decisions on whether or not to let your teen drive would be a personal choice. If you think that they are mature enough and responsible enough then I don't see a problem with it. Being the mother of a 16 year old, my personal stance is that she is not allowed to drive with any kids in the car until she turns 18, but again that's a personal choice.

[imagardener]

I doubt a rental car company would rent to someone that age even as a "secondary" driver.

Insurance for teenagers is very expensive (for obvious reasons) and I can't think of how it could be done except as an add-on to the parents policy. Of course teenagers drive in Sarasota and the rest of the country lol. It just costs their parents big sums of money for the privilege.

[True Brit]

Thank you for the links to the other websites. I will look at these, there is a lot of information there.

I have not found any rental company that will rent to under 21 year olds and I can perfectly understand this. I just wondered if it was sensible business or legislation that influenced the policy.

Insurance is very expensive for teenagers in the UK also, again for obvious reasons. My son paid £2,250 for his first year's insurance. Had he have been a girl it would have been lower at about £1,700. Therefore many 17 year olds do not drive, it may be more common in Sarasota perhaps. Next year he will be at university and will not afford the insurance.

I am sure driving for him in Sarasota will not be possible, or even a good idea but I just wanted to have accurate facts when we talk about it. As his friend's family have a house it may be in his interests to get a Florida licence, if that is possible. On a 'learner' licence do you drive around with a qualified driver as you do in the UK.
Many thanks for all the information.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by True Brit

On a 'learner' license do you drive around with a qualified driver as you do in the UK.

A couple of things I wanted to point out about insurance. If you have a licensed driver in the house and there are three cars your insurance goes up tremendously. For instance, my husband and I each have a car but if we had a third car and my daughter, who's 16 and licensed is living in the house, the insurance is much higher. This is because they consider her a full time driver if she has her own car. If there are only two cars she's considered a part time driver.

If your son is licensed and decides not to drive your insurance still goes up. So, if he does get his license I would make sure he intends to use it and drive. There's no sense in paying for a higher insurance rate if he's not even going to drive.

I think it's the same way over here-boys have higher insurance premiums than girls.

Here's some more info about restrictions, etc:

Learner License Information

Learner License - To earn a learner license, you must be at least 15 years old

You must provide :

• one primary form of identification, proof of date of birth, and one secondary form of identification

• Proof of social security number if issued Chapter 322, Florida Statutes, requires the Department see proof of social security number for the issuance of driver license and identification cards.

• Proof of residential address,

• Proof that you completed a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course (check your local yellow pages under ‘Driving Instruction’ for a location near you) or a license from any state, country, or jurisdiction, and

• Parental Consent Form, which must be signed in the presence of a driver license examiner or notarized if parent or guardian will not be present (form is located at http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/forms.html). If you are under 18 and are not married one parent or legal guardian must sign your license application. Step-parents may not sign unless they have legally adopted you.

You are required to take:

• A Written Test covering the following areas:

Road Rules – 20 multiple choice questions about traffic laws – must have 15 correct answers to pass.
Road Signs - 20 multiple choice questions about road signs – must have 15 correct answers to pass.

Florida Driver Handbook

• Vision Test using an eye machine. To pass, you must have 20/40 (or better) vision in each and both eyes, with or without corrective lenses.

• Hearing Test

With your Learner’s License, you may:
Only drive during daylight hours during the first three months and until 10 p.m. thereafter, always with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat.
Operator’s License (16 and 17 year old) - To earn an operator’s license, you must be at least 16 years old AND have held a learner’s license for at least one year without any traffic convictions.

You must provide:

• A Florida Learner’s License or a license from another jurisdiction.
• Parent or guardian certification that you have at least 50 hours of behind the wheel driving experience, of which 10 hours must be at night.

You are required to take:

• Driving test and perform certain driving maneuvers. Please refer to the Florida Driver Handbook for specifics or present a waiver from an accepted driver education course.

With your Operator’s License, you may:

• 16 years old – only drive between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat, or you are traveling to or from work.

• 17 years old – only drive between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m., unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat, or you are traveling to or from work.

[True Brit]

Thanks SoFlGal, that is so much information. I have not heard about insurance going up if there are 3 drivers in the house. I think that is different to UK. Each of us has an individual policy for our own car and I don't think it matters how many people live in the house so it interesting to know that. I will tell our friends who own the house in Sarasota in case they decide to buy a car. They do not have residency so there is a limit to how much time they can spend each year in the US. So far each time they go they rent a car from the airport. This has been fine except now there is the 'problem' of their 18 year old son wanting to drive when he goes over in the summer.
What also seems different is that as a learner driver you seem to be able to drive a vehicle alone during the day. This is not possible in the UK until you have passed your test and have a full licence.
I will look at all the information and thank you for very much for such a comprehensive, informative answer.

[WAwannabe]

Not sure about Florida, but when I lived in Texas I drove on my UK license for 3 years! Now, I don't recommend that but when I did get pulled over they didn't really want to deal with you (too much paper work I think). The police officer told me that I had to get a license within 3 months of living there. I purchased a car and insured it with while having a UK license. The other point is that I could drive my wifes car and be covered by her insurance as long as I had her permission to drive - That may be one option if it's available in Florida. ( She used State Farm ).