Supervised practice and driver education in South Dakota

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the 50-hour requirement and its weather and night parts.
• You can explain who may supervise you, and who must supervise after 10 p.m.
• You can fill in the DPS Supervised Driving Log correctly.
• You can explain how the parent affidavit is signed.
• You can describe what approved driver education changes and what it does not.

What you need to know and understand

• At least 50 supervised hours are required, with 10 in inclement weather and 10 after dark.
• A supervisor must be a parent or legal guardian, or a licensed driver over 18 with at least one year of driving experience, seated beside you.
• Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. state law requires the person beside you to be your parent or guardian.
• A parent or guardian must attest in writing that the hours are complete.
• The affidavit must be signed in front of a notary public or a South Dakota driver license examiner.
• Driver education is optional. Passing an approved course shortens the permit stage to 180 days and can waive the state tests for a year.

Keeping the DPS log

The DPS Supervised Driving Log records each drive in minutes, with separate columns for inclement weather, night and day driving, plus the skills you practiced. In minutes, the targets are 3,000 in total, at least 600 in bad weather and at least 600 at night. The log form describes the weather and night hours as separate blocks, so record each drive in one column only.

• Fill in the log straight after each drive while the minutes are accurate.
• Use the skills column to spot gaps, such as no parallel parking yet.
• Print extra pages as you need them and keep them with your permit paperwork.

Making the weather and night hours count

The manual stresses that posted limits are set for dry summer pavement. Use your weather hours to practice driving well below the limit on snow and ice, braking gently, leaving extra space and never using cruise control on slippery roads. For night hours, practice switching between high and low beams and watching the roadside for deer, which are most active at dusk and dawn. October and November have the most car and deer crashes.

Driver education: what it does and does not do

An approved course from the South Dakota Department of Education counts when you score 80% or better on both the written and driving parts. An out-of-state course can count if the state Driver Education Coordinator approves it on the notarized Out-of-State Driver Education form. Driver education cuts 95 days from the permit stage and can waive the knowledge and drive tests within a year. The DPS flyer still lists the 50 hours for permits issued after July 1, 2020. Our South Dakota 50-hour practice log guide has a sample plan.

Common mistakes

• Letting a non-parent supervise after 10 p.m. Only a parent or guardian may sit beside you between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• Counting one drive twice. Record dark, snowy drives in one column and make each total reach 600 minutes on its own.
• Leaving the affidavit to the last minute. It must be signed before a notary or a license examiner.
• Choosing a supervisor without a year of driving experience. A newly licensed adult does not qualify.

Test yourself: Supervised practice and driver education in South Dakota

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• South Dakota 50-Hour Practice Log
• South Dakota Permit Practice Test
• South Dakota Restricted Minor’s Permit