They don't cruise in the left lane, they keep both hands on the wheel and act predictably. But American drivers, accustomed to doing other things while driving, continue their dangerous habits even at high speeds, he says. Safe Driving, Strict Licenses Germany has stricter requirements than the United States for licenses. The Germans' written test is tougher than Americans', the minimum driving age is 18, and German drivers have to take classes in city traffic, on country roads, on autobahns and at night before being let loose on the roads. Each U.S. state has its own requirements.
Most states require driver education courses for young drivers.
But the quality of road and written tests varies widely. Road tests in suburban Virginia, for instance, may not involve highway driving or parallel parking. Local authorities very strictly police written and road tests, people who've driven in Japan say. Most Japanese cities have excellent public transit systems for non-drivers. But people in Iceland, a country without particularly good public transportation, still need to take 30 hours of courses before their road test, says Fridrik Jonsson, secretary at the Icelandic Embassy in Washington.