<p>So if you're over 19, you can't get a license from a driving school.. which means you have to take about 10 hours of behind-the-wheel training and then go to the DMV to take the driving skills test. </p>
<p>For driving school, cost is $40/hour so that amounts to $400 for 10 hours. Add to this the cost of renting the car to get to the DMV for $100. Total amount is $500.</p>
<p>Isn't it insane to spend that much money just to learn how to drive to get a license? How else can I do this?</p>
<p>Find a friend to teach you. There will be empty parking lots everywhere until school starts. I don’t recommend learning to drive around the Corner area. Or get Hazelorb to test out her teaching skills acquired in Curry ;)</p>
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<p>10 hours to learn how to drive? I wouldn’t bet money on that ahahaha. Driving, in theory, is pretty easy. You know what to do, but when you’re learning you tend to forget and panic. It becomes easier the more you drive. Practice, practice, practice. I know when I was firt leaning, everything was new to me. So staying in the lane, trying to watch other cars, making turns, etc. was really hard because I was trying to process all that information. Now, it’s second nature and I don’t need to actively think about what I’m doing. If you ever watch the videos in driver’s ed, they’ll show you the difference between experienced driver and new driver eye patterns. New drivers are jerky and tend to look right in front of them. Experienced drivers continually check their mirrors and surroundings; most don’t realize they’re doing it. There have been studies done, and even after 6 months of driving, there are still significant disparities between novices and experienced adults.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t count on a friend teaching you. You don’t have a car, so I’m assuming you would need to use theirs. New drivers tend to be harder on the brakes and the chances of you hitting something increases exponentially. As much as I love my friends, I would never let them drive my car. If they hit something, my insurance goes up, and if they’re hard on the brakes, then I’ll need to replace the brake pads. Either way, I get stuck with paying. </p>
<p>Also, the “friend” teaching you needs to be above the age of 21. Otherwise you (and they) can get a ticket for letting you drive with a learner’s permit.</p>
<p>If you’re trying to learn before going back to school, then this is really late. Unless you have a pressing need, wait til a break when you go home and have your parents teach you. They’ll be more forgiving if you hit something.</p>
<p>Also, have you taken a driver’s ed class? You really should take one if you haven’t; most behind the wheel programs won’t let you step foot into their car unless you provide proof that you took such a class. I don’t know about prices in cville, but in NOVA, you can get easily get driver’s ed and behind the wheel for $300. For just behind the wheel, you can get it for $100-$150. I don’t know anyone who payed above $200.</p>
<p>Usually, it’s not that expensive to get a license. Many schools in Virginia provide driver’s ed classes in school, parents let them learn how to drive with their car, and behind the wheel classes for teens cost about $100-150. So, for the majority of people who receive their first license in VA, it costs about $100.</p>
<p>I’m already working in NOVA and I need a car. I spoke with reps of driving schools who said that the driver’s ed and behind the wheel for $200 is only for those below 19.</p>
<p>Driving really isn’t too difficult. You’ve spent enough time in the passengers seat to understand the principles and with an automatic transmission it isn’t a huge leap from watching to actually doing it. </p>
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<p>How recent is this? Can your ten hours be with a family member? When I took the test in 06 I didn’t go through any drivers education.</p>
<p>I’m an international student and haven’t had time to do it here because I only just turned 18 recently (18 is the legal age here). Will it be possible for me to get a drivers license and do drivers ed up in the US?</p>
<p>barboza, I keep forgetting but did you graduate already? Because that changes things a bit. :)</p>
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<p>No. That 10 has to be with a driving school.</p>
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<p>After some time, it’s easy. But initally, it’s not. There’s a huge difference between the passenger seat and the driver seat; it is a leap.</p>
<p>Wicked, yes you can, but the odds are the qualifications may be drastically different from your country, depending on where you are from. </p>
<p>If you’re from Europe, it will be easier to get it here. If you are from Asia, good luck to you. </p>
<p>I’d look up drivers ed in the C’Ville yellow pages, and give a few places a call to check out rates. Also, you’ll need to read up on the VA driver’s handbook to learn the rules of the road before your Learners Permit test ([Commonwealth</a> of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles](<a href=“http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/citizen/drivers/manual.asp]Commonwealth”>http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/citizen/drivers/manual.asp)). </p>
<p>To get your permit, you’ll need to bring your passport, visa, I-20, Student ID, bank statement with US address, and rejection letter from the SSA saying you’re not eligible for an SSN to the DMV. You pay the fee, take the test, and granted you pass, you will take a vision test, have your picture taken, and given a temporary permit. Your permanent permit will come in the mail, as it is now made by a Canadian company in a secure central facility in Danville.</p>
<p>Don’t try and go for the cheapest driver’s ed, the objective is to make you a good driver. Also find a driver’s ed that will allow you to use their car to take the test, since rental car agencies will not allow someone under 21, let alone someone with a permit rent a car. </p>
<p>Also note that while having a driver’s license is essentially a required piece of ID these days, you can also get a State ID card (you need the same identity proof documents I stated above), without having to drive (or the right to drive). </p>
<p>If you do become licensed, remember that if you buy a car, your insurance rates will be through the roof as a new driver.</p>
<p>barboza graduated this year. we are friends. haha shoe your post made me laugh. i actually have a few friends who can’t drive and we go to walmart late at night sometimes where they practice with me. LOL.</p>
<p>anyways, get a friend to teach you. it’s free (or buy them lunch or something) and then just take your test. at least that’s how it works in PA.</p>
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<p>That’s what I ended up doing. I bought my car a few weeks before I had DL. I was older and the seller simply assumed I knew how to drive. He handed me the keys and went back into the house for a drink while I took it out on the road. I’d never driven before but, really, how hard could it be?</p>
<p>I went for my road test four weeks later. It was late in the day and agent from the DMV just wanted to go home. She had me behind the wheel for as much as six minutes.</p>
<p>Hope y’all’ve got nice friends, I wouldn’t even let my dearest friends drive my car.</p>