To drive a vehicle while in Arkansas, you must hold a valid license. Your AR driver’s license will be part of a graduated driver’s license program if you are a first-time driver.
For drivers who have violated the traffic laws or who need additional training, there are other defensive driving programs available in the state, as well.
Testing and Preparing to Drive in AR
Before you can get your license when under 18 years old in Arkansas, you must complete the DMV graduated driver’s license program. You can start participating in this program as early as 14 years old by obtaining an Arkansas learner’s permit at your nearest DMV office.
Arkansas Graduated Driver License
The Arkansas DMV has a graduated driver license program. It allows drivers as young as 14 years old to get an Arkansas learner’s permit to drive.
To move between stages of the graduated driver license program, teens must have at least 6 months of training on their AR learner’s permits. During that time, student drivers need to have as much supervised practice as possible.
Professional training is also available in Arkansas. At a driver’s education course, students will go through 30 hours of classroom lessons. There are another 6 hours of in-car observations and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training. Some study guides for the required driver’s license tests are available from the Arkansas State Police. You can also take an online DMV Practice Test to practice for the written test.
After this training, drivers may obtain their intermediate license at 16 years old.
Remedial Driver Programs in Arkansas
The National Safety Council offers defensive driver training throughout the nation, including Arkansas. These certified courses are nationally recognized and may help reduce points on your driving record and keep people safe behind the wheel.
AR Defensive Driving Schools
Drivers in Arkansas can benefit from going to an approved AR defensive driving school. If a driver gets a moving violation, they may need to pay a fine and have that ticket on their driving record. This could increase the cost of insurance, and, in some cases, build up enough points to cause the driver to lose their license.
To avoid the fines and cost of an insurance hike, drivers have the option of completing a defensive driving program. This kind of program will vary by county in Arkansas, and the court usually has to tell drivers which programs are available, and acknowledged, for completion.
Some drivers may be able to go to defensive driving school to dismiss a traffic ticket and to keep the violation off their Arkansas driving record. An in-person defensive driving course is usually around four to eight hours long, but that depends on the specific court requirements. Some programs may be available online.
In defensive driving school, people learn all kinds of helpful techniques, such as:
- How to establish safer driving skills.
- How to use safety features in their vehicles.
- Current Arkansas traffic laws.
- Dangerous driving habits to avoid.
- How to avoid road rage.
- Proper passing techniques.
- Accident avoidance techniques.
Once completed, the program may help the driver qualify for reduced car insurance rates.