man whats the policy for driving down there? like when can you drive alone, and what kind of drivers ed is required?
Drivers ed is not required, but if you pass it with an 80% or above, and get your license within 6 months of that, you dont have to do the written or driving test for your license.
You can get a restricted permit at 14, which basically means you cant drive after dark alone, I think that it is actually 8pm, but I am not sure, but you can drive during the day. At 16 it changes into a full drivers license. It of course is like that because of kids who need to drive for farms.
Drivers testing is incredibly lax in this state. My wife took her road test and basically it was pull out of her parking spot (in a parking lot) drive around a few blocks, turn a few corners, change lanes a couple times, then back to the courthouse to park. No parallel parking.
the testing is pretty much the same even in the bigger "cities" in south dakota. Ask the north dakota guys, it's the same up there, and the minnesota guys dont get it much harder than us. Nebraska written tests are about as easy as ours, I never had to take a driving test in nebraska, since I have always had my license, and I never asked anyone about the test in nebraska. I have heard Iowa is about even with Minnesota. Of course, this whole part of the country is a lot more lax about those types of requirements than most of the rest of the country.
Even my CDL testing was easy as hell. I had to parallel park the truck in a space with 15 feet of extra space, drive out of a dock, then back up into one next to it, back around a corner into a dock (with a little more space than I would have on a 2 lane highway...EASY), drive around town demonstrating basic driving skills, and do my walkaround inspection of the vehicle.
The written tests for a basic drivers license seem to be much easier than many other states as well. I think my CDL written tests were easier than it would be other places as well, but they are easy tests no matter where you take them.
Personally, I would never trust a driver who has only driven in this state or the immediately surrounding area.
Not just teens...EVERYBODY! I can't even count how many stupid people I was stuck behind today, going 10 under the speed limit, only to finally get around them and pull along side to see that they were on their cell phone, or better yet, TEXTING

while driving. :nonono: I swear to Christ, when did DRIVING become the least important part of driving a car?
Amen, other drivers shouldn't terrify me when I am driving around in 50 tons of truck and trailer, but a lot of days, I am scared to drive anything when I see these people.
Aint that the truth. I really wish they would pass a ban on cell phone use while driving that applied to teens. Not only can they not drive because they havent encountered enough scenarios but they're not even paying attention because they're always on their damn phones.
Ban cell phones for everyone while driving. There is no reason you need to be on the phone when you are driving. 15 years ago, it was nearly unheard of to be talking on your phone while driving, I don't see what changed since then. They were trying to pass a law in this town banning it for everyone but police and emergency personnel, I wish it would have passed, but to many college students to vote it down. It's just like the mandatory recycling bin law that passed. It requires any housing unit under a 4 family dwelling to pay the city for recycling bins and pickup. Most of the people who voted that law in live in apartments(more than 4 units), dorms, or mobile homes(which are apparently exempt as long as they are in a court). To often everywhere, the people who are the biggest problems, or are uneffected by a law, are the ones who control passage of the law. Just so you guys know, I am not against recycling, we have a recycling center in town, and I go there once every week or two with my cardboard, plastic, and cans. I am just against paying the city 10 bucks a month for an extra trash can, so that the city can hire some extra people to sort the stuff coming out of those cans, and someone to drive around in a garbage truck emptying the cans.
Did I mention that the girl that hit my sisters car was on her phone at the time of the accident?