New resident driver education — Rhode Island Permit Test

A new Rhode Island resident under 18 must have completed 33 classroom hours of driver education.

A teen who skipped the classroom work may not know the rules the state expects every new driver to know.

Completion of thirty-three (33) classroom hours from an accredited secondary education institution that follows national acceptable ‘best practice’ teaching of material to under eighteen (18) year old potential licensees.

In-car practice cannot be counted toward Rhode Island's 33 classroom hours.

Time behind the wheel does not teach the laws and penalties that the classroom hours cover.

Classroom hours cannot be combined with in-car practice/training to meet the Rhode Island requirement of thirty-three (33) classroom hours.

New residents must show proof of at least 8 classroom hours on the problems and penalties of drinking or drug use and driving.

A teen who never learned what alcohol does to driving is the one most likely to try it.

New residents with out-of-state permits, certificates of completion, etc., must show documented proof of a minimum of eight (8) classroom hours of classroom instruction on the problems and penalties associated with alcohol/drug consumption and driving.

New residents with original out-of-state records may attend a class of at least 3 hours on Rhode Island law.

Laws differ from state to state, and a driver from elsewhere may not know Rhode Island's own rules.

Applicants producing original (not copies) of the documentation for the requirements as stated above may be eligible to attend a minimum of three (3) classroom hours on Rhode Island law and relevant driver education information.

Every new Rhode Island resident under 18 must take a knowledge exam and then a driving skills test.

A permit from another state does not prove the teen knows Rhode Island's roads and laws.

All new residents, under eighteen (18) years of age must take a knowledge exam and subsequent driving skills test.

Out-of-state permits and junior licenses meet the general curriculum, but not Rhode Island's own laws on alcohol, organ donation and state and local rules.

Each state's alcohol laws differ, so a teen trained elsewhere may not know Rhode Island's.

Out of state permits and junior licenses satisfy the general curriculum requirements, but do not apply to Rhode Island specific laws on alcohol, organ donor and state and local laws.

How many classroom hours of driver education must a new resident under 18 show?

33 hours. A teen who skipped the classroom work may not know the rules the state expects every new driver to know. Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.74: “Completion of thirty-three (33) classroom hours from an accredited secondary education institution that follows national acceptable ‘best practice’ teaching of material to under eighteen (18) year old potential licensees.”