Starting Friday, Florida will not offer driver’s license exams in any language other than English, a change that prompted a slight surge of test‑takers at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices across South Florida before the policy took effect.
In the final hours before the transition, some residents rushed to complete their written exams in Spanish, Haitian-Creole and other languages. Many said the change will make future visits to the DMV significantly more challenging.
“I heard the news and thought since I don’t know English, I’d have to take it in Spanish, take advantage of the opportunity that remained,” said Rosani Sanchez, who passed her exam in Spanish.
Late Thursday afternoon, CBS News Miami observed a brief outage at a Miami‑Dade DMV office delayed testing for several people. Some left without being able to take the exam in their preferred language.
“We have to come back on another date,” said Jose Silva, speaking in Spanish. “They gave us Tuesday of next week because today they can’t. It’s crazy in there.”
Some worry changes could affect road safety
Driving schools that serve non‑English speakers say they expect business to slow as students struggle with the English‑only requirement. Some worry the change could also affect road safety.
“At no point does knowing English make us a better driver,” said Ricardo Iglesias, owner of Mirta’s Driving School in Hialeah. “We are a better driver if we learn, and that’s our job.”
Iglesias, whose family immigrated from Cuba in 1962, said his parents didn’t have time to learn English before needing to drive to work. He believes many new arrivals face similar pressures today.
“If you don’t drive here in South Florida, you don’t live here, you don’t survive,” he said.
With exams now offered only in English, Iglesias plans to expand his lessons to include basic language instruction.
“Not only am I a driving instructor … now I am going to have to teach you English,” he said.
Some drivers worry that people who don’t speak English fluently may avoid the licensing process altogether.
“I think there must be a lot of people like that, that still don’t have command of the English language,” Sanchez said. “They would like to take the test in Spanish.”
Others say they will attempt to study for the exam in English despite limited understanding.
“I still don’t understand written English,” said Jocelyn Pujoy, speaking in Spanish. “Only hearing it. And I would prepare by studying in English.”
Some DMV offices are now providing English‑language study booklets to help residents prepare for the new testing requirements.
