NBC6 met Daniela last week, crying in the hallway of a Miami Tax Collector’s office. Despite Daniela passing her driver’s license test in Spanish, the state selected her to retake it – this time in English.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced that starting Feb. 6, all driver’s license tests would only be administered in English.
But for people like Daniela, an English test would have been a major struggle.
“I understand we have to adapt to a new place and learn English,” she said, “but it’s not the same having a conversation in English, which I can do, than answering very long questions on a test … I wasn’t confident.”
After NBC6 aired Daniela’s story last week, the tax collector’s office reached out, explaining there was a transition period. Anyone who made an appointment before Feb. 6 could still take their test in another language as originally planned.
A woman learns she’ll have to re-take a driving test as a new English-only driver’s license exam rule is set to begin.
On Monday, Daniela reached a major milestone. Once again, she passed her driver’s license test in Spanish. Now, she’s a licensed driver.
“I passed! I knew that I was able to pass it again because I studied and took a four-hour course,” she said. “But if the test was in English, I probably would have failed.”
If you did not make an appointment before Feb. 6, the tax collector recommends that you start studying in English, even if you are part of a third-party driving school.
Some state officials claim the roads will be safer with driving tests only being in English, but experts who spoke with PolitiFact say there is no evidence of that and believe this would only lead to more people driving without a license.