Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you clearly don't have teens. FxCo has a mandatory "ceremony" teens have to attend before they're given their license. Police talk to them about safe driving, etc. and a judge issues the license. If you don't go, you don't get your license. It's a pain in the neck, but mandatory.

Oh. I got my license when I turned 16 in 1986 in Fairfax CO. Side/profile photo. If you were underage you had a side photo instead of full face.

They just handed me the license when I came back in from road test. I think we took the written test and if passed went out for the road test.

I remember my ponytail profile shot made me look like I was 12.

Anonymous wrote:I felt that the presentations had a good amount of meaningful content. I wouldn't bash it.

That was our take.

Anonymous wrote:Oooh...I have a 15 year old.

Do they really have to go to a ceremony to get their driver's license?

Who came up with that stupid idea?

What a pain in the ass.

No. You don't. You can wait until they turn 18 and do it the adult way.

The "ceremony" is a court date (so don't blow it off). You get some lecturing by the judge about driving, and that it is a responsibility to take seriously. Truly not onerious.

I felt that the presentations had a good amount of meaningful content. I wouldn't bash it.

Link for more info:

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/juveniledomesticrelations/clerks-office/juvenile-drivers-license-ceremony

Anonymous wrote:We just got the card for my son's driver's license ceremony and it's on the second day of school. Any chance they'll let us reschedule for the week before? Any advice on doing this?

There will likely be other students attending so it should be fine. I would just get it over with. The judge is very nice.

Also, the card says you cannot bring a phone into the building, which is not correct. You can bring a phone but it needs to be turned off/put away once you get into the courtroom.

And the license is given to the parent, and the parent gives the license to the child.

Anonymous wrote:Oooh...I have a 15 year old.

Do they really have to go to a ceremony to get their driver's license?

Who came up with that stupid idea?

What a pain in the ass.

Yep, they sure do. At least in VA they do. We had to reschedule my kid's twice. The first one was for the first day of school (really, VA?) and the second one was on the day of a big exam with a teacher who gives makeup tests that are harder than the original test to discourage students from missing.

It's a whole 'thing' where the judge gives the license to the parent, not the kid, and the parent is then tasked with deciding if the kid is ready or not for the license.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you clearly don't have teens. FxCo has a mandatory "ceremony" teens have to attend before they're given their license. Police talk to them about safe driving, etc. and a judge issues the license. If you don't go, you don't get your license. It's a pain in the neck, but mandatory.

Probably most of us have teens who haven't taken their driver's test yet.

This sounds like a stupid idea created either by pinterest moms who like to chronicle everything on social media, or the kind of people who like to micro manage everyone's lives.

Why is it offered during the day instead of evenings?

It's state law. So the mom-bashing seems a bit gratuitous, to me.

Anonymous wrote:To FL poster.... We are going through this now. All of this is the same in Va. The kids also has to attend a 1.5 hr presentation at the school with their parents to watch videos of the aftermath lives of families of teens killed in car accidents. It seemed like they were preaching to the parents.

I knew about the ceremony but not specifics. Also I’ve heard the license is actually given to the parent, who are advised to give to the kid to drive only if they think their kid is ready. This puts the onus of safe driving and rues in the parent.

Florida doesn't scold the parents like that. Basically if you are providing an insured vehicle for your teen to drive it is in your best interests as a parent to make darned sure the kid is ready for the responsibility.

Ceremony is a strong word to describe the procedure. Usually it is after school. One day per month as I am leaving the courthouse, I run into a bunch of kids and parents and have a 2 second panic attack that I forgot about a court date until I remember it is drivers license day. There is a short presentation that focuses mainly on safety and the license is presented to each child’s parent if the child is under 18. This way every kid sees a courtroom full of people be told by an authority figure that teen driving is a family decision and a family responsibility. My kid will be doing hers this year. The coirthouse is my second home so it will be no mystery to me and I have a reserved parking space at my office ?.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you clearly don't have teens. FxCo has a mandatory "ceremony" teens have to attend before they're given their license. Police talk to them about safe driving, etc. and a judge issues the license. If you don't go, you don't get your license. It's a pain in the neck, but mandatory.

I'm in Florida and the kids can't get their learner's permit until they've taken and passed a driver safety and alcohol awareness class. They can't get their driver's license until they've completed a certain number of hours of both daytime and nighttime driving. By the time they go in to actually get their license they have already been driving (with a licensed adult in the car) for quite a while.

This driver's license ceremony sounds like a PITA and a little after the fact if you ask me....

I agree.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Some of you clearly don't have teens. FxCo has a mandatory "ceremony" teens have to attend before they're given their license. Police talk to them about safe driving, etc. and a judge issues the license. If you don't go, you don't get your license. It's a pain in the neck, but mandatory.

Probably most of us have teens who haven't taken their driver's test yet.

This sounds like a stupid idea created either by pinterest moms who like to chronicle everything on social media, or the kind of people who like to micro manage everyone's lives.

Why is it offered during the day instead of evenings?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad I live in Maryland.

Has this been scheduled during the school day or is it in the afternoon or evening? It doesn't make sense to schedule it during school hours.

I did this many, many years ago. Ceremony isn't an accurate description, not sure why they call it that. It was during school hours because it was for all the kids in my school getting their license after driving ed finished for the year (which used to be a class taught in school, not sure that is the cause in other states).

I'll add it had cheesy PSA videos, police officers talking about gory car accidents, and usually someone sharing a story about how drunk driving or not wearing a seat belt affected them, and a MADD presentation.

To FL poster.... We are going through this now. All of this is the same in Va. The kids also has to attend a 1.5 hr presentation at the school with their parents to watch videos of the aftermath lives of families of teens killed in car accidents. It seemed like they were preaching to the parents.

I knew about the ceremony but not specifics. Also I’ve heard the license is actually given to the parent, who are advised to give to the kid to drive only if they think their kid is ready. This puts the onus of safe driving and rues in the parent.

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad I live in Maryland.

Has this been scheduled during the school day or is it in the afternoon or evening? It doesn't make sense to schedule it during school hours.

I did this many, many years ago. Ceremony isn't an accurate description, not sure why they call it that. It was during school hours because it was for all the kids in my school getting their license after driving ed finished for the year (which used to be a class taught in school, not sure that is the cause in other states).