Wisconsin Online Driver Education and Wisconsin Licensing Procedures

The process of applying for your Wisconsin learner’s permit or first Wisconsin driver’s license can be nerve-racking, but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right information. We want you to get as much out of this experience as possible and have designed this guide to help guide you through the process. Wisconsin has a “Graduated Driver License Program()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/index.htm for Wisconsin teen drivers, and there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure that applying for your first Wisconsin driver’s license goes as smoothly as possible. So let’s get started.

The Wisconsin Learner’s Permit or Wisconsin Instruction Permit

When you turn 15 and a half, you can apply for a Wisconsin Instruction Permit. Remember, you must practice driving with your parent, guardian, or driving instructor who is 19 years or older. You can also practice driving with a licensed driver who is over 21, providing your parents give consent.

To apply, you’ll need the following items:

• Get your driving instructor to certify your application (course must begin within 60 days of certification)
• Complete or enroll in a Wisconsin approved education course
• Have your parent/guardian sign your Wisconsin Instruction Permit application
• Or find a “valid adult sponsor()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/teens/sponsorship.htm
• “Provide proof of identity documents()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/getlic.htm
• $35 Wisconsin Instruction Permit fee

Once you’re ready, “make an appointment()”:https://trust.dot.state.wi.us/arts/Login.htm, then head on down to your “local Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicle Office()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/about/locate/dmv/scmap.htm (DMV) with your parent or guardian and submit your application. Then, you’ll have to take the following tests:

• knowledge test
• highway signs test
• vision screening.

If you survive, then congratulations. You’ve just earned your Wisconsin Instruction Permit!

Once you’ve held your Wisconsin Instruction Permit for 6 months and have met a few more requirements, you’ll graduate to the next step in the Wisconsin Graduated License Program, the Wisconsin Probationary Driver’s License.

The Wisconsin Probationary Driver License or Wisconsin Provisional License

You can apply for your Wisconsin Probationary Driver’s License once you’ve held your Wisconsin Instruction Permit for 6 months in good standing. However, you’ll need to make sure you meet these requirements:

• Be at least 16 years old
• Hold a Wisconsin Instruction Permit for 6 months
• No Wisconsin traffic violations for 6 months prior to application
• Complete 30 hours of driving practice – 10 of these hours must be at night
• Record your practice hours in a “driving log()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/docs/hs303.pdf, which your parent or sponsor must verify
• Present proof of completion of a Wisconsin approved driver education course
• Don’t forget the $34 probationary driver license fee

All set? Then, make an appointment and head on down to your local Wisconsin DMV Office again. Remember to bring your parent/guardian, your identification documents, and your Wisconsin Instruction Permit. The only remaining obstacle is the dreaded Wisconsin road test. If you pass, then your reward is your Wisconsin Probationary Driver’s License! Now you’re just a few more months of good behavior away from getting your full license.

Wisconsin Teen Driver License Restrictions and Penalties

Despite your new-found driving confidence, there are still a few “restrictions()”:http://www.transportation.wv.gov/dmv/Driver-Licenses/Pages/DrivingLicenseInformation.aspx%22%20%5Cl%20%22Where%20to%20Go you’ll have to live with for the first 9 months of your Wisconsin Probationary Driver’s License:

• You may be accompanied by family members but must follow these passenger restrictions:
• Person who holds a valid license and has 2 years of driving experience, a qualified driving instructor, spouse, or is 21 or older
• Other person
• No driving alone from midnight to 5AM
• The exception to this driving curfew is if you’re driving to/from work or school

These restrictions will be extended by 6 months if you violate any of these restrictions, receive a Wisconsin traffic ticket, or your license is suspended or revoked for other reasons. However, once you turn 19, you can apply for your Wisconsin Regular Driver License. Take a deep breath—you’ve earned it!

Wisconsin Auto Insurance Financial Responsibility Laws

You may think you’re ready to drive just because you’ve received your Wisconsin Provisional Driver license, but there are still other things you need to know. Most crucially, Wisconsin drivers are required by law to be covered by “liability insurance()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/doc/proof-of-ins.htm. You risk suspension of your Wisconsin Learner Permit or Wisconsin Probationary Driver’s License if you are in an accident and found to be driving without Wisconsin mandatory liability insurance, so make getting your vehicle insured a top priority.

The minimum liability insurance coverage is:

• $25,000 bodily injury for one person
• $50,000 bodily injury two or more people
• $10,000 for property damage per accident

Wisconsin Drunk Driving, Cell Phone, and Text Messaging Laws

As a Wisconsin teen driver, your top priority should be to keep yourself and your passengers safe. It is important for you, therefore, to learn the Wisconsin drunk driving, cell phone, and text messaging laws. Like most states, Wisconsin has a Zero Tolerance Law for underage drinking, and if you are convicted of a Wisconsin OUI or Wisconsin OWI, your Wisconsin Learner’s Permit or Wisconsin Driver’s License will be suspended.

In general, upon your first conviction of a Wisconsin OWI of .08, you’ll face the following penalties:

• Fine $150 to $300
• SR22 Insurance Required
• Alcohol Assessment
• License Suspension 6 to 9 months

Needless to say, further Wisconsin OWI and OUI convictions will result in harsher penalties, including increased jail time, community service, fines, and Wisconsin license suspension or even Wisconsin license revocation.

Wisconsin law prohibitsdrivers from text-messaging while driving. We know it’s tempting, but text messaging creates a distraction, and a distracted driver is a dangerous one!

Wisconsin Online Driver Education

Wisconsin teen drivers are required to enroll in a Wisconsin-approved driver education class in order to qualify for a learner’s permit. You can find more information about approved Wisconsin online driver education on the “Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website()”:http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/teens/cdschools.htm.