Driving in the US

Julia DeLaRosa Author

08/01/2020 Added

235 Plays

Description

Information for 2020 international students for Online Orientation.

Searchable Transcript

Search:

[00:00:01.630]Hello my name is Julia DeLaRosa.
[00:00:04.350]I work with new student enrollment
[00:00:05.920]and I'm gonna share you some steps and details
[00:00:09.020]about driving in the United States.
[00:00:13.250]So today I'm going to go through a couple of different
[00:00:15.960]areas of the driving process.
[00:00:18.150]Number one, the steps to obtain a U.S. driver's license,
[00:00:21.370]which is necessary to be able to drive in the U.S.
[00:00:23.870]I'll talk through the application process
[00:00:25.830]and tests you need to take as well as costs.
[00:00:29.259]I'll talk a little bit about insurance
[00:00:31.850]and why it's necessary and legal
[00:00:36.493]and required to have it with you
[00:00:37.490]if you are driving in the United States.
[00:00:39.170]And then I'll go through with the basics
[00:00:40.630]of purchasing and owning a car
[00:00:42.240]if that's something you're interested in doing.
[00:00:45.860]So regardless of your previous experience
[00:00:48.590]or licenses in a different country,
[00:00:50.750]you must have U.S. driver's license to drive
[00:00:53.640]in the United States.
[00:00:56.370]There is a 30-day grace period if you have a foreign
[00:00:59.210]driver's license starting the day you arrive
[00:01:01.320]in the United States, which you can legally operate
[00:01:03.900]a personal motor vehicle with a foreign license.
[00:01:07.760]However, if you are going to come to the United States
[00:01:10.530]and plan to drive on a regular basis, I would really
[00:01:13.350]recommend you go ahead and start that process
[00:01:16.300]for getting that driver's license as soon as possible,
[00:01:18.910]as this 30-day grace period does time out.
[00:01:22.500]You cannot drive with a foreign license indefinitely
[00:01:25.160]while in the United States.
[00:01:28.320]The basic steps to obtaining a U.S. driver's license.
[00:01:31.170]Number one, to apply at any Nebraska exam station.
[00:01:35.580]Then pass the written, driving and vision exams
[00:01:38.410]and pay the fees for a Class O license.
[00:01:43.080]The application process involves, first of all
[00:01:47.400]let me start with the type of license you'll be getting.
[00:01:49.943]It's a Class O operator's license,
[00:01:52.140]which allows you to drive any motor vehicle,
[00:01:55.012]including a moped, all terrain vehicle, an ATV,
[00:01:56.730]not a cycle.
[00:01:57.780]You cannot drive a motorcycle or commercial motor vehicle
[00:02:01.210]with a Class O license.
[00:02:02.530]So if you do want to have a motorcycle
[00:02:04.222]that would be a separate process.
[00:02:06.170]So, first, fill out a data form,
[00:02:09.231]which is probably in this link here.
[00:02:14.410]It's found on the DMV website.
[00:02:17.130]The DMV, which stands for Department of Motor Vehicles,
[00:02:20.810]will be your starting place for all of the steps
[00:02:23.760]of the process, driver's license and registration.
[00:02:28.570]So, at DMV.Nebraska.gov is where you can access
[00:02:33.230]this application form for a permit
[00:02:35.540]as a Class O driver's license.
[00:02:40.440]You'll also need proof of identification.
[00:02:43.210]So you need to provide a valid I-94 or a valid
[00:02:47.141]non-U.S. passport and your I-20 document.
[00:02:49.710]Have all of these, not copies but the actual originals
[00:02:52.890]of those identifications.
[00:02:57.650]You'll also, when you arrive at the DMV,
[00:03:00.050]the Department of Motor Vehicles where you will
[00:03:02.400]submit your application for your license,
[00:03:04.590]you'll need to provide two documents demonstrating
[00:03:06.820]your Nebraska address.
[00:03:08.410]And this includes if you are living on-campus
[00:03:10.860]or if you're living off-campus.
[00:03:12.890]It can be as something as simple as an electric bill,
[00:03:15.330]a phone bill, it can even be a letter
[00:03:17.120]that is sent to your address of a friend.
[00:03:20.520]That you'll need two separate documents that list your name
[00:03:23.360]and an address that's within the state of Nebraska
[00:03:25.560]to do this.
[00:03:26.680]If you are, and I have some examples over on the right
[00:03:29.940]hand side of what this can be.
[00:03:32.392]It can be a lease or a rental agreement,
[00:03:34.610]account statement from the past 90 days.
[00:03:37.660]It does need to be recent.
[00:03:39.110]It does have to have your name on it.
[00:03:40.330]It can be a paystub, magazines, any correspondence,
[00:03:43.820]any envelopes.
[00:03:44.653]So even from a friends.
[00:03:47.090]Could be a blank personal check as well
[00:03:49.140]that lists your address.
[00:03:50.830]Basically just any two of these options.
[00:03:55.740]And if you do live on campus, you can check with
[00:03:58.930]your resident director or your RD to figure out how you can
[00:04:02.630]get access to mail there as well.
[00:04:06.450]Then you'll need to apply at an exam station.
[00:04:09.480]And I've got the location over here on the right hand side.
[00:04:12.710]The exam station in Lincoln is located
[00:04:14.370]at 500 West O Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.
[00:04:17.360]Just about a mile or two from campus.
[00:04:19.430]Just a very short Uber ride.
[00:04:22.270]Or if you can find someone to drive you and drop you off.
[00:04:24.990]They're open from Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m.
[00:04:27.410]to 4:00 p.m. and you don't need to set up an appointment
[00:04:30.410]in order to apply.
[00:04:32.230]You'll need to gather your new or new other replacements,
[00:04:35.760]data form, the one I just showed on the screen
[00:04:37.930]a couple of moments ago, your proof of identification,
[00:04:41.230]those three documents that we mentioned
[00:04:43.020]and those two documents proving your address.
[00:04:46.210]In order to be eligible for this driver's license
[00:04:48.340]you need to be at least 18 years of ago.
[00:04:51.560]If you're 17 or under you must meet additional criteria.
[00:04:55.010]So if this is applied to you, we recommend
[00:04:57.100]that you visit the DMV that that way you can exam
[00:05:00.227]the station to kind of guide you through that.
[00:05:04.420]Okay, so let's talk a little bit about the exams
[00:05:06.860]that are involved here.
[00:05:08.410]First, you'll need to pass a vision exam.
[00:05:10.703]Meeting minimum vision standards and they'll do this
[00:05:13.420]right there at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the DMV,
[00:05:16.170]which is that same exam station that I showed
[00:05:18.050]you on the previous slide.
[00:05:19.610]You'll also need to pass a written exam.
[00:05:22.880]Just to know the laws and the regulations of driving
[00:05:26.250]in the United States.
[00:05:27.610]There are manuals that are available at 301 Centennial
[00:05:31.410]Mall, which is walking distance of UNL's campus,
[00:05:35.100]as well as at the 500 West O Street,
[00:05:37.320]which is that same DMV station if you want to practice
[00:05:40.530]and review the information as it may differ
[00:05:42.660]from your home country.
[00:05:44.720]You can also take a practice exam.
[00:05:46.700]It's available online, I'll show you the link
[00:05:49.180]here briefly.
[00:05:50.970]And again, all these materials are available
[00:05:53.610]at DMV.nebraska.gov.
[00:05:57.513]And you can take this.
[00:05:58.346]You can take it online or download a single test.
[00:06:03.550]Then you'll need to take a road test.
[00:06:05.480]You'll need to drive a vehicle with a DMV staff member.
[00:06:08.970]To demonstrate that you are capable of driving
[00:06:11.100]under normal driving conditions.
[00:06:13.320]You must provide your own vehicle.
[00:06:15.160]So, some of you won't have a vehicle likely
[00:06:19.770]unless you have the driver's license.
[00:06:21.660]And so, a lot of international students that I've met
[00:06:24.700]that have been in this situation have just asked around,
[00:06:27.243]friends that they know
[00:06:29.566]or someone that would be willing to lend them their car
[00:06:32.760]or drive them to the DMV in order to use
[00:06:35.060]to take this portion of the exam.
[00:06:38.704]And you'll really need to review the rules and expectations,
[00:06:44.100]the traffic laws, before you do this.
[00:06:46.210]Because there is a limit
[00:06:48.100]of how many times you can fail the exam.
[00:06:50.800]If you fail it three times, you are not eligible
[00:06:53.520]to reapply until you complete and official driver training
[00:06:57.758]or have a learner's permit for 90 days.
[00:07:00.760]The learner's permit is a type of license
[00:07:04.170]where you can drive a vehicle only if there is a licensed
[00:07:06.850]driver in the vehicle with you.
[00:07:15.630]I should mention as well the road test is waived
[00:07:17.940]for holders of valid licenses from Germany, Canada,
[00:07:21.040]Mexico or any U.S. Territory.
[00:07:26.020]So, taking the written test can be done
[00:07:29.640]in English or Spanish.
[00:07:31.760]You do not have to be fluent in the English language
[00:07:33.790]in order to obtain a U.S. driver's license.
[00:07:36.130]It's not a conversation quiz.
[00:07:38.300]The written exam is very simple.
[00:07:40.551]It was written very image-based and simple words.
[00:07:42.970]So, don't worry if your English fluency
[00:07:45.360]is maybe still beginner or intermediate level
[00:07:49.560]as it is not a requirement.
[00:07:50.820]It is more to know the laws and recognize the images
[00:07:53.840]and photos so that you can be safe on the road.
[00:07:57.501]So again, if you're not confident in your English
[00:07:59.210]language abilities it's okay,
[00:08:01.430]and there is actually a picture exam that you can request
[00:08:04.750]instead of the written exam
[00:08:06.240]and we'll work with you to create non-verbally during
[00:08:08.560]the driving exam.
[00:08:09.650]So if this is something that you would need,
[00:08:13.179]you can request that at the DMV if it's helpful
[00:08:15.760]to have a friend accompany you that does have a stronger
[00:08:18.140]English language proficiency to explain the (indistinct)
[00:08:19.830]so that can be helpful as well.
[00:08:22.410]One thing I will mention is that here in Lincoln,
[00:08:27.050]the community is very accustomed to international students.
[00:08:30.580]I deal with a large number of international students
[00:08:33.020]at the university and it is very common for international
[00:08:35.890]students to get their driver's license.
[00:08:37.410]So don't worry, it won't be a new situation
[00:08:39.980]for the folks at the DMV and there is a protocol
[00:08:42.850]for these situations.
[00:08:46.010]Let me talk a little bit more about the driver's license.
[00:08:49.030]After you pass your driving test.
[00:08:50.970]Yay, you will receive an issuance certificate in the mail.
[00:08:56.170]Which is again why that's important to have a valid
[00:08:59.400]residence in Nebraska because it'll be sent there.
[00:09:01.447]And bring that to the County Treasurer's office
[00:09:04.360]within 90 days.
[00:09:05.610]And that is the same place where you took the test
[00:09:08.840]at 500 West O Street.
[00:09:10.830]You'll need to bring cash or check to pay the fee
[00:09:13.197]to the Treasurer's Office.
[00:09:14.670]I'll get to that in a moment.
[00:09:16.050]Then you will have a 30-day receipt
[00:09:17.780]and a paper copy of your license and within about 30 days
[00:09:21.680]you'll receive the physical license in the mail.
[00:09:24.310]I actually have my Nebraska license here,
[00:09:26.720]so I'll show you a little bit of what the size
[00:09:28.660]and what it will look like.
[00:09:33.600]Okay, so as far as the timing goes.
[00:09:38.850]Eligibility, they will use a non-citizen's eligibility
[00:09:43.080]to receive a driver's license, your license will expire
[00:09:45.570]on the same day as your I-20 end date.
[00:09:48.830]You'll see this record, your immigration status record.
[00:09:51.330]Must be in active status when applying for a license.
[00:09:56.220]The check-in processing can be delayed at the start
[00:09:58.640]of the semester.
[00:10:00.440]If you applied for you license and your SEVIS record
[00:10:02.840]has not been updated to active, do not give up.
[00:10:05.750]We will contact you when it changes to active status.
[00:10:08.800]All this is to say, just if you are coming in the fall
[00:10:13.110]and your I-20 is up-to-date and you complete the check-in
[00:10:16.360]immigration process with ISSO,
[00:10:18.560]as mentioned in our international orientation modules.
[00:10:22.570]Then all of this should be good to go.
[00:10:24.520]And if you have any questions about your SEVIS record
[00:10:27.010]you can contact ISSO, which is the International
[00:10:30.500]Student and Scholar Office and their email is iss@unl.edu.
[00:10:38.920]Okay, so if you're getting your driver's license
[00:10:41.170]you may or may not be wanting to own a car in the U.S.
[00:10:43.820]And so I'll talk through a little bit of the considerations
[00:10:46.840]you'll need to keep in mind.
[00:10:49.750]Before you purchase any sort of car,
[00:10:51.520]it's really important that you go through and make
[00:10:53.300]sure that you are making a good financial decision
[00:10:57.990]and a safe decision as well.
[00:11:00.280]I have a link here called the Blue Book.
[00:11:02.522]To find the value of a car, it keeps a record
[00:11:06.070]of the make and mileage.
[00:11:08.148]So if you are buying a car, you can go through
[00:11:11.400]and fill it out and just kind of verify
[00:11:13.530]what the price would be to make sure that you are
[00:11:17.030]getting a good financial deal.
[00:11:19.600]You can search the car history on a website called
[00:11:22.430]Carfax using the VIN number.
[00:11:26.350]I recommend visiting a mechanic in Lincoln,
[00:11:29.510]some sort of auto shop that can make sure
[00:11:31.790]that everything is running properly
[00:11:33.230]before you sign a contract or pay a deposit
[00:11:35.774]to get a car.
[00:11:38.280]You'll also need to get car insurance.
[00:11:40.440]This is also very very important.
[00:11:41.930]Have basic liability insurance.
[00:11:43.330]I'll be talking about this in the slides that come.
[00:11:45.993]Just making sure that you purchase insurance
[00:11:47.900]before you buy a vehicle.
[00:11:49.690]You'll need to get the physical title.
[00:11:51.860]There is something called a title document
[00:11:53.430]that you must have in your possession
[00:11:55.950]in order to actually own the car.
[00:11:58.550]Do not pay anyone money for a car unless
[00:12:01.270]they give you that title.
[00:12:02.740]It's very very important whoever selling gives
[00:12:05.750]you that physical title.
[00:12:07.740]Now when you have a title,
[00:12:09.290]you should save it in a safe place
[00:12:11.230]that is not within the car.
[00:12:13.040]Because that title really is your key to owning the car.
[00:12:16.050]So you really don't want it to fall into the wrong hands
[00:12:19.920]because, so I recommend once you have that title
[00:12:22.710]keep it in a safe place within your residence,
[00:12:25.030]somewhere outside the car.
[00:12:29.280]All vehicles driven in Nebraska must be registered
[00:12:32.070]in the state of Nebraska and have sales tax
[00:12:34.430]paid within 30 days of purchase.
[00:12:36.580]Registration is a process through the DMV
[00:12:39.960]in order to make sure that your car is licensed
[00:12:43.740]and registered within Nebraska,
[00:12:45.013]that you have paid the fees necessary
[00:12:47.540]in order to maintain the roads in Nebraska.
[00:12:50.340]So how to do that.
[00:12:52.930]You'll register at the County Treasurer's Office,
[00:12:55.120]which is located at a different address
[00:12:57.210]from the previous location that we've been talking about,
[00:13:00.040]625 North 46th Street in Lincoln.
[00:13:02.680]It's a few miles from campus,
[00:13:04.770]you will need to drive there.
[00:13:06.520]And if you purchased it from a dealer
[00:13:08.260]you'll need the title of the car,
[00:13:09.750]which is your proof of ownership, that document
[00:13:12.120]I was talking about earlier, as well as,
[00:13:14.270]proof of liability insurance, which (muffled speaking).
[00:13:18.973]If you purchase from a person, you'll need
[00:13:20.610]the bill of sale, that shows the amount paid for the car,
[00:13:24.010]the title of the car, which is proof of ownership,
[00:13:26.150]as well as that proof of insurance.
[00:13:30.300]You'll need to pay fees and taxes for registration,
[00:13:34.360]which will depend on the type of vehicle.
[00:13:36.730]You'll obtain documents that will give you a registration
[00:13:38.810]certification, which you will need to keep this in the car.
[00:13:42.790]The title you keep outside the car,
[00:13:45.020]the registration certificate you must keep in the car
[00:13:47.540]at all times.
[00:13:49.070]They'll give you license plates, which you'll need
[00:13:50.870]to attach to the front and the back of your vehicle,
[00:13:53.780]as well as, validation tags.
[00:13:55.990]This shows when you purchased your registration
[00:14:00.340]and you'll need to detach that little stickers
[00:14:01.810]and you put them on the corner of your license plates.
[00:14:06.480]And you'll need to keep these documents safely
[00:14:08.640]within the car and always keep them in the vehicle
[00:14:11.530]at all times.
[00:14:12.970]You'll also need to keep your proof of insurance,
[00:14:15.720]which I'll talk about now.
[00:14:18.050]So, insurance is required within the State of Nebraska
[00:14:22.370]and really in most states in the United States
[00:14:24.800]in order to show proof that if you were to get
[00:14:27.550]into an accident that there would be a company
[00:14:29.600]that could pay the charges necessary
[00:14:32.670]for any damage to your vehicle or to another vehicle.
[00:14:36.546]And so it is illegal to drive without insurance.
[00:14:40.230]You must have insurance.
[00:14:42.420]They vary in price depending on how much
[00:14:44.720]you want to protect the car
[00:14:45.996]and what costs would need to be paid in the event
[00:14:49.920]of any sort of damage or accident.
[00:14:52.400]Some popular insurance companies include,
[00:14:54.300]State Farm, Progressive, All-State Insurance,
[00:14:57.250]Geico and even local insurance companies.
[00:14:59.610]And for most of these you can go online
[00:15:01.940]and run a search to get what's called a quote,
[00:15:05.150]which will show you the cost per month
[00:15:07.350]or per six months or per year of the insurance.
[00:15:11.830]And when you purchase this it will give you either
[00:15:14.130]online or in paper or both,
[00:15:18.160]just a certificate of insurance which you will need
[00:15:20.420]to keep inside the car at all times
[00:15:22.850]along with your certificate of registration.
[00:15:27.580]So if you don't want to buy a car there are other options.
[00:15:31.410]One is to use utilize Zipcar.
[00:15:34.610]Now Zipcar is kind of like car rentals,
[00:15:37.150]it's a car-sharing network that allows you to rent
[00:15:39.660]a car on demand hourly or for days at a time.
[00:15:42.667]They have a partnership with the university,
[00:15:44.880]so you could be, if you're 18 or older
[00:15:47.497]and if you have a foreign driver's license,
[00:15:50.520]you don't actually need a U.S. driver's license
[00:15:52.940]to utilize a car.
[00:15:55.330]You can do this and they keep them on campus.
[00:15:57.540]So this website kind of shows you how it works.
[00:16:00.760]Very popular option for students,
[00:16:02.220]especially being able to travel domestically within the U.S.
[00:16:04.900]or use a rental car for short trips to the grocery store
[00:16:08.140]or some other sort of errands on the weekend.
[00:16:11.210]For renting a car through a local car rental company
[00:16:15.200]you must be at least 20-21 years of age.
[00:16:19.240]And there's another Young Renter Fee
[00:16:21.290]if you are between the ages of 21-24.
[00:16:24.050]You must have a valid U.S. driver's license.
[00:16:26.410]Although sometimes you can use an international permit.
[00:16:29.440]You also must have a valid form of payment.
[00:16:31.650]So what I can tell you just from personal experience
[00:16:33.880]is that I recommend Zipcar as an international student
[00:16:36.620]particularly if you're under the age of 25
[00:16:38.820]It will be cheaper and less hassle for you.
[00:16:43.640]That's about it.
[00:16:44.473]If you have questions about driving in the U.S.,
[00:16:47.370]you want more details.
[00:16:48.830]Feel free to contact me, my name is Julia DeLaRosa.
[00:16:51.430]I work with New Student Enrollment
[00:16:53.140]and my email is up here on the screen, jdelarosa2@unl.edu.
[00:16:59.072]And if you have any questions about buying
[00:17:00.890]or leasing a car or insurance or anything like that
[00:17:04.380]you can utilize a free service that's provided
[00:17:06.380]by the university, which is called Student Legal Services.
[00:17:09.440]And they're located on the 3rd floor
[00:17:11.190]of the Nebraska Union on City Campus.
[00:17:13.360]And their phone number is included here.
[00:17:15.500]Thanks so much for watching.
[00:17:16.950]And good luck in your transition to campus.

The screen size you are trying to search captions on is too small!

You can always jump over to MediaHub and check it out there.

Comments

0 Comments

Driving in the US

Description

Searchable Transcript

Comments icon comment

Related Channels

Comments