Will Florida’s new English-only policy for drivers license exams make roads safer? What we found.

In August 2025, a tractor-trailer driver attempted to make an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike, killing three people. 

The driver, Harjinder Singh, an immigrant in the U.S. illegally who received his commercial driver’s license in California, failed an English proficiency test after the crash, state officials said. 

The incident prompted outcry from some Florida politicians who said people who don’t read English should not be allowed to get driver’s licenses.

Now, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says that all Florida driver’s license written and oral exams will be administered only in English — without the option of an interpreter or translator — starting Feb. 6. The change applies to all driver license classifications. 

Florida is a multilingual state. Around 30% of its residents over age 5 speak a language other than English at home, U.S. Census data shows. And 35% of naturalized citizens in the state say they have limited English proficiency, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

"Good reform by (Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles) to require driver exams be conducted only in English," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said of the new policy Jan. 31 on X. "Need to be able to read the road signs!"

Nikki Fried, the state’s former agriculture commissioner and current chair of the Florida Democrats, criticized the change.

"In one of the most multilingual states in the country, Florida is going to implement driver’s license exams exclusively in English," Fried posted Jan. 30 on X. "This is not about safety, this is about racism."

DeSantis and other proponents of the new policy say it will make Florida roadways safer by ensuring drivers can read English-language road signs. The federal government has also enacted new rules on English proficiency for commercial licenses.

We found no academic papers or government reports showing that taking a drivers license test in a foreign language results in drivers who pose a unique threat on the road. Driving safety experts also told us they are unaware of any such studies. 

We contacted Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles about the safety evidence behind the policy shift and received no reply to that question by the time of publication. 

When we contacted DeSantis’ office, a spokesperson pointed us to his Jan. 31 X post and also noted traffic fatalities, including those caused by Singh, involving drivers who weren’t proficient in English.

Experts said the effect of Florida’s policy on overall road safety may be small because traffic signs typically prioritize universal symbols rather than words. 

"The standard iconography and signage used across the country is meant to be easily recognizable and understandable for drivers, and so it's unlikely that a language barrier would make a big difference in one's understanding of this signage," said Joe Young, spokesperson for  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit funded by auto insurance companies that aims to reduce motor vehicle crashes. 

"In cases where words are used," Young said, "my understanding is that there's a deliberate effort to keep phrases short and ensure letters are large enough to be easily understood." Words and symbols are often combined, something called "dual coding," to ensure drivers understand the information quickly. 

Strict policies such as Florida’s may also discourage people who aren’t proficient in English  from getting licenses, experts said, which could result in more unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.

How driver’s license exams in Florida are changing

A driver must pass three tests to get a Florida driver’s license: a multiple choice test on traffic laws, road signs and safe driving; a driving test and a vision test. 

Exams for most noncommercial driver’s license classifications were previously offered in multiple languages, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said. Commercial learner’s permit and driver’s license exams were offered in English and Spanish.

Only a handful of states offer the exams in English only, the Tampa Bay Times reported, including Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming. 

Many states that allow multiple languages for the knowledge exam specify that people must understand roadway signs in English to pass, with some offering separate testing for traffic signs where applicants identify signs by color and shape and provide an explanation of each.

No evidence that drivers who take tests in foreign languages pose a higher risk

PolitiFact found no conclusive, large-scale studies measuring whether people who take driving exams in a foreign language pose a higher risk on the road. 

Multiple safety data experts, including from the National Safety Council, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety told us they are not aware of any such research. 

Most traffic safety research has found that age, experience and behavior, such as distracted or impaired driving, are the strongest predictors of risk. 

One Jan. 28 research paper looked at challenges international drivers transitioning into the U.S. traffic system might face. 

It found that drivers who are translating in real time face increased mental demand and can experience slower reaction times. The paper recommended that traffic education move away from being text-dominant and monolingual and toward being more visually adaptive.

Young, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said states can take proven steps to reduce crashes among newly licensed drivers, including requiring more practice hours, increasing the age of licensure and imposing passenger and nighttime driving restrictions. 

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which develops model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement and highway safety, has guidelines for state noncommercial exams. 

Those guidelines say a person’s inability to read or speak English "is not necessarily a barrier to proper motor vehicle operation" as long as the driver meets the knowledge requirements and is "able to interpret highway signs, signals and markings." It is the responsibility of the licensing agency, the organization says, to ensure these conditions are met before issuing a license.

When non-English speakers are unable to pass licensing exams, the guidelines say, they may be more likely to seek a license fraudulently or operate a vehicle without one.

"Steps taken to accommodate the needs of foreign-speaking applicants will help prevent unqualified drivers from threatening the safety and mobility of the motoring public," the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators guidelines say.