Navigating Utah Driver’s Ed

Over the last year I’ve learned that there is almost nothing more terrifying than teaching a teenager how to drive! Not only has it been scary actually driving with my son – but figuring out the process has almost been scary in and of itself, especially as a parent outside of the public school system. So I want to share my experience in hopes of making it easier for other families. My 16‑year‑old just received his license last Friday—so we finally finished the process… just in time to start again with the next kid who turns 15 in April😜

Step 1: Getting the Learner’s Permit

The first step is that students need to get their learner’s permit before they can take any Driver’s Ed. This threw me off because when I grew up in California, you took Driver’s Ed first in order to get your permit. In Utah, kids are expected to study the official Utah Driver Handbook on their own and then take the written test at the DMV. I think it’s a weird system but no one asked me 🤷‍♀️

My boys used a practice test app that has all of the Utah test questions. The one we used is DMV Permit Test – DRIVERSTART. They just kept taking practice tests until they were ready for the real thing. Here are links to the app:

• Android version
• iOS version

When you go to take the test, you can set an appointment online with the DMV, which saves time. You’ll need to fill out the online application first—which will then direct you to schedule an appointment at a DLD (Driver License Division) office for the learner’s permit test. At your appointment, be sure to bring:

• Proof of identity (like a birth certificate or passport)
• Proof of Social Security number
• Two documents showing Utah residency
• A parent or legal guardian (if your teen is under 18—they’ll sign a form for financial responsibility)
• $19 for the non-refundable fee

Once you’re there, your teen will have their photo taken, take an eye exam, and sit for the 50-question written knowledge test. You can check out the DMV’s guide to getting your permit here.

The written knowledge test can be taken twice in one day. If a student doesn’t pass after those first two tries, a third attempt is allowed—but a new fee is required starting with the fourth attempt.

Step 2: Traffic Safety and Trends Exam

After completing their permit test, but before your teen can get their license, they also need to complete the Traffic Safety and Trends Exam online. This one was simple—they just watched a few presentations and then answered questions. There are unlimited attempts to get it right. I think this took my son less than an hour to complete. You can find the exam here: Utah DLD Traffic Safety and Trends Exam

Step 3: Driver’s Ed Courses

Once your teen has their permit, you can finally sign them up for Driver’s Ed. We used the Utah Military Academy’s online course, which is free: Utah Military Academy Driver’s Ed. It was thorough and convenient since it could be done entirely from home. It did take a while to get through, and we had to follow up with the school on a couple of items, but for the price (free!), it was worth it. It did take my son a considerable amount of time to get through all of the coursework – but I think that was probably as much because of his personality more than the coursework itself. We’re inclined to use it again with our younger son when he turns 15 in April so I’ll have to report back on how quickly he gets through it.

Every driving school has their own driver’s ed course – some are in person, some are packets it just depends on who you decide to work with. I’ll talk more about the different driving schools below, but Dave’s Driving School has a home study packet that they certify for $100, and Libertini Driving School has an 18 hour classroom course that is rolled in with their full driver’s ed package (including drive time) that’s $450.

Driving Preparation Tips

One thing I did with my kids that I think really helped was narrating my own driving decisions as they got older. For example, I’d point out: “We’re coming up to a 4‑way stop—who has the right of way?” or “I can turn right on red here, but I need to wait for that pedestrian first.” It takes a lot of mental effort to explain everything, but I think it gave my son a head start before he ever touched the wheel.

We invested in a driving simulator that we could use at home. It’s a little pricey, but I figure it’s cheaper than a single accident—and with 5 kids in the family, it’ll get plenty of use). We used the game City Car Driving with a wheel/pedal set similar to this one. The graphics weren’t great in VR (motion sickness was an issue), but I still highly recommend it. Honestly, I think VR driving training should be mandatory—it lets kids practice without endangering anyone on the road.

I also bought these Student Driver magnets for our car. They cost about $6 and were worth every penny. Other drivers really did seem more patient when my son was behind the wheel, and since the magnets aren’t permanent, they didn’t damage our car. I even went back and purchased their New Driver magnets for my son’s car now that he’s on the road solo.

Step 5: Practice Hours

One key difference between Utah and California (where I learned to drive) is that in Utah your first drive does not have to be with an instructor. In fact, where we did our behind the wheel training they encourage students to already have half of their required hours done before driving with them.

In Utah, once your teen has a learner’s permit, they’re required to complete 40 hours of supervised driving, including at least 10 hours after sunset. This is in addition to their 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training that they need to do through their driver’s education program.

We logged his practice hours in the Zero Fatalities driving log app. It was handy since my husband and I split driving supervision. The app only lets you log in 15-minute increments, which was mildly annoying, but it was still easier than making my own tracker. Well… maybe… there’s a strong possibility that I will build my own tracker before my next son starts driving, but that’s not today’s project 😜

Step 6: Behind-the-Wheel Training

We started out with Utah Military Academy for the behind-the-wheel training. The price was only $185, which is a great deal, but the instruction wasn’t the best fit for us. It wasn’t a great experience, especially since my son was a very nervous new driver (I missed the instruction to have half of his road hours completed before signing up for the training – so he’d only ever driven in our church parking lot). UMA also pairs two students together in the car, so half the time is spent observing while the other drives. Even knowing that my son was probably not as well prepared as he should have been – I don’t know that I would do their driving training again. It was fine, and if price is your most important point then they will hit the mark – but I definitely think there is higher quality training out there.

After actually finished getting in the driving hours, we decided my son could benefit from more professional instruction before getting his license. It was another pricey decision, but again – cheaper than even one accident so it seemed worth the investment This time we used Libertini Driving School in Sandy, UT, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. It cost $380, but the one-on-one instruction was worth every penny. The instructor met with us before and after each lesson to set goals and review progress. My son’s confidence skyrocketed, and he passed his test on the first try. For my younger kids, I’ll likely still use UMA for the free online coursework, but for the driving portion, I plan to go straight to Libertini.

Step 7: Taking the Road Test

In Utah, you can take the driver’s test through the DMV or a private school (just not the same school where you did Driver’s Ed). One perk: your teen can take the road test before their 16th birthday. They can’t get their license until they’re 16, but this lets them get the test done early and turn in the paperwork at the DMV on their birthday instead of stressing about testing that day.

We did the test through Dave’s Driving School: https://davesdriversed.com/utah-road-testing/. Dave has a great YouTube and written walkthrough of the test that made it much less intimidating. Students can test in Dave’s car (a Tesla) or their own. We chose our own car since that’s what our son was most comfortable driving. Dave also gave us helpful feedback afterward about what skills to keep practicing, even though he passed. I really appreciated that attention and care for safety.

Step 8: Getting Licensed (Hooray!)

Alright, you’ve made it—your teen has passed the driving test! Now comes the moment when you head back to the DLD to actually get the license.

First thing’s first: go to the Utah DLD appointment page to fill out the forms and set your appointment. You can set this appointment before you have taken the driver’s test – I had my son’s test scheduled for the early afternoon and scheduled the appointment for the late afternoon so we didn’t have to wait between the two.

On license day, you don’t need to haul in their birth certificate or proof of residency all over again—unless something’s changed since they got the permit. But you do need to bring:

• Your teen’s learner permit
• A parent or legal guardian to sign for financial responsibility (if your teen is under 18)
• Completion certificate or proof of Driver’s Ed (often submitted electronically)
• Official results from the road test

At the DLD office, your teen will have their photo taken again, finish any remaining paperwork, and pay the licensing fee. Then you’ll walk out with a temporary paper license in hand, valid instantly—while the official card arrives in the mail a few weeks later.

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That’s it—you’ve gotten your teen officially licensed! Hopefully this guide makes it a little bit simpler for you to get through the process. I realized last year that I was spending 8 hours a week driving my teenager to his different classes and activities. I have been SO grateful to get that time back in the last week – as frightening as it is to send him out on the road on his own 😬