Should driving in the US require conversational English skills?

[Anonymous]

I ask this because the VAST majority of our traffic signs in every state are in English. Yet we offer the drivers test in multiple languages. For example California offers it in 33 languages. We are one of 6 countries that offer the tests in different language. Florida has done something i actually approve of, The drivers test is English only. There are actually places in the US where if you dont speak Spanish you won't get a job, and there are businesses in those areas where they won't do business with you unless you speak Spanish. The way i see it, if you want to be a citizen here, please for the love of god at least get a basic understanding of English.

[WhiteSteve]

Great news!!! Someone thought of this a loooonnnnngggggg time ago, and they just standardized the shapes/designs, and you just change the language to match the local one. If you drove in Mexico without speaking Spanish, you’d be fine. Unsurprisingly, the opposite applies too.

[lilBigPotato]

Nope. Basics signs should not need you to read text. In Europe you can drive 3 hours and go through 3 or 4 different countries with different languages each. it still works because the important signs generally don't use much text.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't learn the language of the country where you live 🤷‍♀️

[molonski2]

Well , I have a Thai license and an Australian license , I would not have liked having to complete the Thai one in Thai , you know what the signs say.

Australia is same as US , many struggle with English.

[Anonymous]

You just have to be able to memorize a handful of random words.

[Emily_griffin]

I think basic English for understanding road signs, directions, and safety instructions makes sense. But requiring someone to speak fluent conversational English just to drive feels unnecessary.

[Alex-Snow]

What about English speakers who visit other foreign countries? For example Greece or Norway. Do they need to proficient in those languages to drive?

[Asker]

To get a permit sure. by the way Greece, and Norway both don't provide driving tests in anything other than their native languages. Like mentioned in the question, only 6 countries offer driving tests in languages other than native and Greece and Norway aren't among them.