Iowa/Des Moines Driver's License (to rent, car insurance, school)

[jonathanlima]

Hello, my name is Jonathan, I'm new here in Iowa. I'm relocating from Brazil with my wife, so everything is pretty much new for us.

One of the topics we are working on is the Driver's License so we can have a state-issued id (in Brazil this is a tough process and takes a looong time).

My question is about the Road Test in Des Moines. Do you guys have any tips for this road test? Are there any pre-defined streets we are going through? (considering my tests are at Des Moines DMV)

Thank you!

[Parnassia]

IME in 8 other states, each individual road test examiner chose slightly different streets though I'm sure they need to include different types (low speed residential as well as busier roads) across a range of driving conditions. They want to test your ability to recognize signs, markings, and to react spontaneously to the road conditions they direct you into at the time. The skills test wouldn't be very meaningful if they publicized standard routes so you could memorize them in advance!

[Okey Dokie]

I haven’t taken a driving test in 52 years, but the big “gotcha’s” back then were to be sure to stop behind a stop sign and stop line/crosswalk at a traffic light.

[A.Typical.Girl]

When I learned to drive at 16, I had to go to a driving school as I knew no one who owned a car. The cost isn't outrageous... back then, it was $150, twice/wk for a few wks (don't recall how many)... it's probably double that now.

You may not need an entire driving course, which is generally filled with teens getting their licenses, but I suggest contacting a school for 1-2 private 1-hr lessons... bonus is that they have a car, so you don't need to rent.

I did that in San Diego when I bought an SUV 12-yrs ago. I'd only driven teeny tiny cars having lived in the inner city my entire life & needing a small car to more readily find on-street parking spaces, but with a giant "boat" of a vehicle, I wasn't comfortable backing out of parking spaces, in particular.

Lessons were $100/hr & I only needed 1. I had a very small parking space next to a cement beam underneath my bldg, which required backing up multiple times to pull out, so that's all I needed... someone to stand behind my car while I practiced pulling out without scraping the beam or other vehicles, then doing 3-point turns, returning to the spot & doing the same for an hour.

Also, you do get a slight discount on car insurance with a driver's education certificate. Perhaps others can chime in on that... it's been a long time since I got my driver's ed certificate.

Technically, you could choose anyone with a license to help you for $100, but, if it's someone who owns a school, they're teaching you the right way & haven't settled into poor driving habits. I think it's worth $100. Good luck.

Welcome to the US & IA.

[A.Typical.Girl]

To the OP...

How is your search & relocation going? Hopefully, you'll arrive during spring/summer when it's beautiful here & lovely to be outdoors as much as possible.

Good luck.