Michigan Drivers Ed
Michigan was one of the first states that recognized the need for compulsory drivers education classes for teenagers. Even today, Michigan driver’s ed programs are one the most extensive in the country.
Michigan GDL
Drivers education classes are part of the Michigan graduated drivers license system. The GDL program applies to teenage license applicants and aims at reducing the number of casualties among teen drivers by slowly emerging them into driving. The key features of the program are the mandatory drivers ed classes and the learner’s license that is issued to those taking the class.
Types of Michigan Drivers Education
The driver’s education program in Michigan is divided into two parts, the segment 1 drivers education and segment 2 drivers education. Both of them work together to ensure that all teenage drivers license applicants gain enough experience before hitting the roads.
Michigan Segment One Drivers Ed
If you are at least 14 years and 8 months old, you can sign up for the segment 1 drivers education class. The class consist of 24 hours of classroom lessons and is followed by another 6 hours of behind the wheel driving class.
The classroom portion of the class covers the following topics:
- Michigan driving laws
- Safe driving techniques
- Defensive driving
- Drug and alcohol awareness
Once you complete the classroom portion of the course, you will also have to take 6 hours of behind the wheel training. The instructor will teach you the basics of driving, which should get you started.
At the end of the segment 1 driver’s education class, you will have to take a test which will consist of 100 questions. This test covers both the segment one drivers ed and your learner’s permit exam and you will be given the certificate of completion to present at the Secretary of State (SoS), where you can exchange it for the level 1 learners permit.
Those who are over 18 years of age will need to take the permit exam at the SoS office. If you have not taken a driver’s education class, you have other ways to prepare for the course. You may obtain a free drivers manual to study the rules and take some Michigan practice tests to get familiar with the wording used at the SoS.
Michigan Segment Two Drivers Education
Before you even start your segment 2 driver’s education class, you need to receive your level 1 learners license and complete at least 30 hours of supervised driving with your parents. If you have held the learners permit for at least 30 days, you can apply for the segment 2 driver’s ed.
The second part of the driver’s education class is very easy, all you need to do is to complete 6 hours of classroom instruction. By now, you already have some driving experience and are familiar with the driving rules, so the instructor will teach you more advanced driving techniques and explain to you how to avoid the potentially dangerous situations on the road.
Once you are done with the segment 2 driver ed, you can take the road test and receive your level 2 intermediate drivers license, which can in turn be upgraded to the unrestricted Michigan drivers license.
