Although this online drivers education course is not officially approved in your state, it is a great learning tool for teens!
South Dakota Online Driver Education and Online Driver Ed Courses
We would like to welcome you to the most popular South Dakota online drivers education course in the state - DriverEdToGo.com. This course can be taken totally online and offers everything you will need for earning a South Dakota DMV learner's permit.
- You get a certificate of completion, processed that same day
- Your satisfaction is GUARANTEED, you only pay if you stay
- You have multiple settings for taking the course
- Upon completion you will qualify to receive lower insurance rates
- The course offers audio narration that reads it aloud to you
- You will receive around the clock 24/7 technical and customer support
Procedures for South Dakota's Licensing and Driver Education Online
If you have made the decision to apply for your South Dakota Learner's permit or driver's license, then congratulations are in order. The state offers a Graduated Driver's Licensing Program for teen drivers in South Dakota. If you are one of these aspiring teen drivers then here are a few things you should keep in mind when you are applying for your first driver's license in South Dakota.
Instruction Permits or Learner's Permits in South Dakota
Once you reach age 14, you are eligible to apply to get your Instruction permit in South Dakota. These are also referred to as 'Learner's permits'. Here are the 5 requirements:
- Valid ID (your original birth certificate is fine)
- Parent or Guardian signature on your application form
- Study and be ready to answer questions concerning the South Dakota Driver's Manual
- Social Security Number or Card
- Approved South Dakota Driver's Education Course completion (OPTIONAL, and will cut down the wait time for your operator's license by as much as 90 days!)
Once you are prepared, make the trip downtown to the local Driver Exam Station in South Dakota and take a parent or legal guardian along with you and submit the application. Upon submitting the application, you will be asked to take a vision test and a written examination. When you reach this point, congratulations are again in order, good going! You have just earned an Instruction Permit for the state of South Dakota. This permit is valid for 275 days (180 with drivers ed). Keep in mind that you should be focusing now on practicing your driving. Always do this with a parent or guardian riding along, or either a driving instructor or another licensed driver over the age of 18 (who has a valid driver's license and has carried it for at least one full year). They must be seated up front in your vehicle, on the passenger side. Any and all passengers must be wearing seatbelts at all times. Keep your Instruction permit on your person at all times when practicing your driving. After you have had your Instruction permit for a total of 180 days, and managed to meet a few more requirements, then you are ready to take the next big step into the Graduated License Program for South Dakota (a South Dakota Conditional Driver's License). If, however, you have completed an approved South Dakota Driver's Education course, your wait time for receiving your Operator's License will be cut by 90 days!
If you are age 15 you are eligible to apply for a Minor's Permit in that state of South Dakota. That means passing your knowledge, driving, and vision tests. You must produce all required documents already listed above for the Instruction Permit. The Minor's Permit will be valid for a full five years. It entitles you to drive between 6AM and 10PM only with parental consent.
South Dakota Provisional or Operator's License
After holding an Instruction Permit for a full 180 days, you are eligible to apply for a South Dakota Operator's License. Simply make yourself an appointment and go to your local Examination Station in South Dakota. Make sure you bring along all necessary documents, which includes your Instruction Permit. Now you're ready to take that dreaded road test! If you conquer your nerves and make it through that, then once again, you're to be congratulated! You are now the proud owner of a South Dakota Operator's License, good for a full five years!
Penalties & Restrictions Concerning Teen Driver's Licenses in South Dakota
Even though you can drive any time as long as you have supervision, you will have to obey one small restriction in regard to your Restricted Minor's Permit in South Dakota:
- You cannot drive between 10PM and 6AM unless a parent or guardian is with you.
- Anyone who has earned their Operator's License in the state of South Dakota is free to drive totally unrestricted, and enjoy the freedom of the road!
Laws and Responsibilities Concerning Auto Insurance in South Dakota
After receiving a Limited Provisional Driver's License in South Dakota, you are ready and set to hit the road--- Really? Not so fast. All South Dakota licensed drivers are required to carry at least liability insurance on their vehicles, IT IS THE LAW. Minimum liability coverage goes as follows:
- Bodily Injury (one person) $25,000
- Bodily Injury (two or more) $50,000
- Property Damages per Incident $25,000
NOTE - You also have to secure coverage for any underinsured/uninsured motorists. Should you be involved in any accident and be found without the mandatory liability insurance required by the state of South Dakota, your South Dakota Driver's License may be suspended.
Drunk Driving, Text Messaging, and Cell Phone Laws in South Dakota
As a teen driver in South Dakota, it is crucial that you know and understand the drunk driving laws, the cell phone laws, and the text messaging laws. South Dakota is a 'Zero Tolerance' state, especially when it comes to underage drinking. If convicted of DUI or DWI in South Dakota, you will be facing additional penalties to the ones listed below.
When you have a first time conviction for DUI in South Dakota, and a BAC level of .10, you will be facing:
- One Year in Jail
- $1,000 Fine
- Suspension of Driver's License from 30 days to 1 Year.
Logically, should you incur further DUI or DWI convictions in South Dakota, these penalties will naturally increase. You may end up having your license revoked altogether.
At this time, teen drivers in South Dakota ARE barred from using their cell phones while they drive.
Online Driver's Education for South Dakota
Teen drivers can participate in approved driver's ed courses to expedite the process of obtaining their South Dakota Driver's License. There is more information about these approved programs concerning South Dakota online drivers ed on their South Dakota Dept. of Public Safety Website.
NOTE:
SOUTH DAKOTA - DriverEdToGo Page Fact-Check (Final, primary-source verified)
This page is badly garbled. It confuses South Dakota's permit types, invents validity periods, gets the DUI BAC threshold and jail figure wrong, and the cell-phone claim is the opposite of current law. South Dakota uses the term DUI (statutory), not DWI. South Dakota's GDL structure is: Instruction Permit (age 14) Restricted Minor's Permit Operator's License (full, at 16) - there is no separate "Minor's Permit valid for five years," no "Conditional License," and no "Limited Provisional License."