In August 2025, a truck driver attempted to make an illegal U-turn on a highway near St. Lucie County, Florida, killing three people.
The driver, Harjinder Singh, an immigrant illegally in the United States who received his commercial driver’s license in California, failed an English test after the crash, state officials said.
The incident sparked an outcry from some Florida politicians, who said people who do not read English should not be allowed to obtain driver’s licenses.
Now, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says all written and oral exams for obtaining a Florida driver’s license will be administered only in English — without the option of an interpreter or translator — starting February 6. The change applies to all driver’s license classifications.
Florida is a multilingual state. About 30% of its residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home, according to US Census data. Additionally, 35% of the state’s naturalized citizens say they have limited English proficiency, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
“A good reform by the (Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles) requires that driving tests be given only in English,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said of the new policy on January 31 in X. “You need to know how to read traffic signs!”
Nikki Fried, former state agriculture commissioner and chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, criticized the change.
“In one of the most multilingual states in the country, Florida will implement driver’s license exams exclusively in English,” Fried posted Jan. 30 on X. “It’s not about safety, it’s about racism.”
DeSantis and other advocates of the new policy say it will improve traffic safety in Florida by ensuring drivers can read traffic signs in English. The federal government has also enacted new English proficiency rules for business licenses.
We found no academic articles or government reports showing that taking a driving test in a foreign language results in drivers being at greater risk on the road. Road safety experts also told us that they are unaware of studies of this type.
We contacted the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to inquire about the evidence behind the policy change and did not receive a response.
When we contacted DeSantis’ office, a spokesperson directed us to his Jan. 31 post in X and also noted traffic deaths, including those caused by Singh, that involved drivers who were not fluent in English.
Experts said the effect of Florida’s policy on overall traffic safety may be small because traffic signs generally prioritize universal symbols rather than words.
“Standard iconography and signage used across the country are intended to be easily recognized and understood by drivers, so a language barrier is unlikely to significantly impact understanding of such signs,” said Joe Young, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit organization funded by auto insurance companies that seeks to reduce car accidents.
“In cases where words are used,” Young said, “I understand that there is a deliberate effort to keep the sentences short and ensure that the letters are large enough to be easily understood.” Words and symbols are often combined, called “dual coding,” to ensure that drivers understand information quickly.
Strict policies like Florida’s can also discourage people who are not fluent in English from getting licenses, experts said, which could result in more unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.
How are Florida driver’s license exams changing?
A driver must pass three tests to obtain a driver’s license in Florida: a multiple-choice test on traffic laws, traffic 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, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Learner’s permit and commercial driver’s license exams were offered in English and Spanish.
Only a few states offer the exams only in English, the Tampa Bay Times reported, including Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Many states that allow multiple languages for the knowledge test specify that people must understand traffic signs in English to pass, and some offer separate tests for traffic signs where applicants identify signs by color and shape and provide an explanation of each.
There is no evidence that drivers who take tests in other languages pose a higher risk
PolitiFact found no conclusive large-scale studies measuring whether people who take driving tests in a foreign language pose a greater risk on the road.
Several safety data experts, including those at the National Safety Council, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, told us they are not aware of any such investigation.
Most traffic safety research has found that age, experience, and behavior, such as distracted or impaired driving, are the strongest predictors of risk.
A Jan. 28 research article looked at the challenges international drivers transitioning to the U.S. transit system may face.
According to the report, drivers who translate in real time face greater mental demands and may experience slower reaction times. The study recommended that driver education should stop being monolingual and dominated by text and be oriented towards greater visual adaptation.
Young, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said states can take proven steps to reduce crashes among drivers who get new licenses, including requiring more practice hours, raising the licensing age and imposing restrictions on driving with passengers and at night.
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which develops model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement and traffic safety, has guidelines for noncommercial state exams.
These guidelines state that a person’s inability to read or speak English “does not necessarily constitute an obstacle to the proper operation of a motor vehicle,” as long as the driver meets the knowledge requirements and is able to interpret signs, traffic lights, and road markings. According to the organization, it is the responsibility of the licensing agency to ensure that these conditions are met before issuing a license.
When non-English speakers cannot pass licensing exams, the guidelines say, they may be more likely to fraudulently seek a license or operate a vehicle without one.
“Steps taken to meet the needs of foreign-speaking applicants will help prevent unqualified drivers from threatening the safety and mobility of the driving public,” the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators guidelines say.
Read more PolitiFact reports in Spanish.
Editor’s note: PolitiFact translated this story from English to Spanish using a machine translation service. PolitiFact journalists fluent in both languages edited the translation for clarity and accuracy.
