Logistical questions about a college student with unique circumstances learning to drive.

June 28, 2009 8:31 AM

Logistical multi part question about a college student with unique circumstances learning to drive. (Yes, I know you are probably not a department of motor vehicles worker).

I am currently a 20 year old living with my parents in Ohio. I go to college in Massachusetts, and my address there changes yearly. I plan to spend next summer in the D.C. area. A friend of friends in Maryland offered to teach me how to drive next summer. (Learning to drive at home this summer is not possible). I have questions about this arrangement. (Oh, and consider spending next summer in D.C. and having this one person teach me something that will definitely happen.)

a) From which state should I get my learner's permit? I have been considered a dependent on my parents' tax forms in the past, so I think my state of "permanent residence" is Ohio. On the other hand, I don't plan on living in Ohio for extended periods of time after this summer.

b) My state ID says that it expires on my 21st birthday. Will my learner's permit expire on my 21st birthday too? I could return to Ohio/ Massachusetts to take the driving test at the end of the summer, but I would be unable to leave the D.C. area in mid June when I have my 21st birthday.

c) If my permit does expire on my 21st birthday, can I renew it without being in OH/ MA?

d) Do I need any special insurance to learn how to drive in a car that does not belong to a family member? Is it regular car insurance, or what? Even if I don't need any, would I want it?

e) How would you compensate my teacher if you were in my position? Should I pay for gas? Part of her insurance? Right now she is a friend of friends, but I imagine she will become a friend next summer. I think it is definitely worth learning from a police officer!

f) Which state has the easiest driving test?

g) Is there anything else I need to think about?

(Anonymous because I want to surprise a few friends on metafilter that I may finally get my license).

posted by anonymous to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

In response to e and only e:

Option 1:
Since she isn't your friend just yet, she should be compensated just as any other driving instructor might be.

Option 2:
At the very least, you should pay for gas. Make a note of the mileage before and after each lesson.

Buying her dinner when all this is over, would also be a nice gesture.
posted by FusiveResonance at 8:44 AM on June 28

IANADMVW, but my sister is...

pre-e) answer: do not take your intro lessons from anyone other than a driving instructor; if you go with AAA, you'll get a break on the class fees, car rental, all the insurance is covered, and if you choose to get insurance with them afterwards they will give you a bigger break on the insurance for taking their course (more than any other insurance company would. Taking some extra defensive/winter driving from the police officer would be awesome though.

e) Offer gas money, and ask her to tack on whatever she wishes for insurance and so on. She'll know what to cover. Maybe suggest a mileage payment instead? Depending on where you start/end the driving, bring a coffee/tea or offer one afterwards. A small gift at the end would be nice; along the lines of a card with a nice note inside letting her know that it was a big deal for you learning how to drive and how much she helped.

Congrats on learning. I was 20 before I learned to drive and got my learner's permit. Best of luck.
posted by variella at 8:53 AM on June 28

If you will be learning to drive in a given state, I would go to that state's Department of Motor Vehicles web site and see what the requirements are.

Example: If you will be learning to drive in Maryland, and you have a learner's permit issued from Massachusetts, will you be able to drive in Maryland? That is the pertinent question, and from that answer all others will flow.
posted by dfriedman at 8:56 AM on June 28

Others are correct in saying that you need to check with the state (or DC) in which you will be learning to drive and/or where the car you will be learning on is registered. Insurance requirements, especially, vary widely by state.

There are states where drivers aren't even required to have insurance. If you find yourself in one of those states, get insurance anyway. It is very rare for a new driver to never make a single mistake, and you certainly don't want to have the financial burden of replacing the car you are borrowing.
posted by hydropsyche at 9:04 AM on June 28

I got my license in Ohio and transferred it to Massachusetts; this is my understanding of regulations in those two states as it applies to your situation (along with some other areas of potential difficulty):

-My license expired at 21, and I had to get a new one - meaning that I needed to physically stop in at a BMV in Ohio. You can do this at most 30 days before the expiration date. I'm not entirely sure if your learner's permit will expire at 21, but if it does, you will almost certainly have to renew it in person.

-Regardless of where you get your license, you may find it easiest to transfer it to MA after you've got it. For carding purposes, I've noticed a lot more signs up saying that out-of-state licensees will need to show a second form of ID when buying booze (or doing other things that require you to be 21.)

-Residency may be an issue. MA, for example, says that "Anyone who is a Massachusetts resident, is at least 16 years old, and has not had a driver's license or the right to operate revoked may apply to begin the process of obtaining a Class D or Class M License at any full-service RMV Branch (see Appendix D for a list of locations)." Note that residency isn't hard to establish: start getting bills or bank statements sent to your MA address and you can bring those as proof. It doesn't matter whether your parents are still counting you as a dependant. (I got my license transferred to MA while I was still being listed as their dependant, and I established my MA residency as described above.)

-You may run into trouble with the length of time you are required to have a learner's permit. For example, the Maryland MVA says: "First time licensees must have held a valid Maryland non-commercial learner’s permit at least six months conviction-free*prior to in-vehicle testing." Can you get down to Maryland 6 or more months before you hope to take the test in order to get your permit? Also, you'll only get a "provisional" license there, inasmuch as you need a certain number of months without moving violations etc. before you can get your full license. A provisional license may or may not transfer easily to other states. The MA driver's manual lists provisional as a term that "if printed on your out-of-state license, may indicate you cannot convert it to a full, Massachusetts license."

-Driving restrictions for people on a learner's permit may prevent you from driving in a state other than the permit state; the state you are driving in may also not recognize your permit. In Ohio, out-of-state permits are recognized, but that may not be true elsewhere.

-Similarly, if you get your permit in, say, Maryland but want to get your license in MA, you can convert permits under certain conditions. You want to make sure that you do sufficient practice hours and Driver's Ed hours to fulfill the requirements of whichever state is stricter.

-You want insurance.

Basically, you need to ask the Ohio BMV, the Massachusetts RMV, and the Maryland MVA about your situation. Your situation is a little bit odd, and particularly in the areas mentioned above, regulations differ state-to-state.
posted by ubersturm at 10:17 AM on June 28