Driving Documents, Licensing, and Responsibilities
Your license is a privilege
Florida issues the Class E license for non-commercial driving: vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating under 26,001 pounds, and combinations towing up to 10,000 pounds. Driving is a privilege conditioned on obeying the law, not a right. Teens progress through graduated steps: a learner's license at 15 requires a traffic law and substance abuse course plus 50 supervised hours, 10 of them at night, and the learner stage must be held 12 months with no crash. Drivers under 18 face nighttime curfews and passenger limits. Carry your license whenever you drive and report an address change within 30 days.
Insurance and no-fault
Florida is a no-fault state. To register a vehicle you must carry at least $10,000 personal injury protection and $10,000 property damage liability. After a crash involving injury, death, or at least $500 in property damage, you must report it to the DHSMV within 10 days. Leaving the scene of a crash involving injury is a felony.
Points, alcohol, and consequences
Twelve points in 12 months brings a 30-day suspension; 18 points in 18 months brings three months. A DUI charge at 0.08 BAC, 0.02 if under 21, triggers administrative suspension, and refusing a breath or blood test under implied consent brings automatic suspension on a first refusal. Exam items love the phrase implied consent: by driving, you already agreed to testing.
Rule of thumb
What you must have with you while driving: valid license, registration, and proof of insurance, with the minimum coverage numbers remembered as 10,000 and 10,000.