Cars were once a “New Terror of Locomotion” in America, and almost anyone could drive one. Then Driver’s Licenses arrived, but tests were still not required

Today, getting behind the wheel means having a license, passing a test and following a long list of traffic rules. But when automobiles first began appearing on American streets, almost none of those requirements existed. There were no standardized driving tests, no lane markings and, in many places, no rules about who could drive.

The arrival of automobiles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries quickly changed that.

As cars became more common, American cities struggled to deal with a new form of transportation. A 1901 report in the San Francisco Call described automobiles moving through the city streets and referred to the car as a “new terror of locomotion” added to existing traffic.


Governments gradually began introducing rules to control both vehicles and their drivers.

Massachusetts and Missouri became the first states to require driver’s licenses in 1903, although motorists did not initially have to pass a driving test to receive one. Other states followed with their own systems, but there was no nationwide standard.

Chicago had already introduced a driver examination in 1899, requiring applicants to answer 18 questions. New York began licensing vehicles in 1903, while Pennsylvania introduced an age requirement for drivers in 1909.

The rules became more closely associated with the modern driver’s license during the following decade.

New York introduced an examination requirement for chauffeurs in 1910. The resulting license was a paper document and included a photograph, helping establish the driver's identity as well as their authorization to operate a vehicle.

Rhode Island took another important step in 1908, becoming the first state to require both a driver's license and an examination. California began requiring licenses in 1913 and later introduced driver examinations in 1927.

The transition was slow. By 1930, only 24 states required motorists to have licenses, while just 15 required drivers to pass an examination. South Dakota did not begin issuing licenses until 1954, making it the last state to do so. It eventually became the final state to introduce a driver's examination in 1959.

Over the decades, driver's licenses also evolved from simple permits into widely used identity documents.

Information such as height, eye color and whether a person needed glasses was added to licenses. Photographs became increasingly important, with California becoming the first state to place a driver's photograph on the front of its license in 1958.

But early licenses were relatively easy to copy, creating another problem. Counterfeit licenses could be used by people trying to hide their age, including teenagers attempting to purchase alcohol.

Technology gradually changed the driver's license again.

Magnetic stripes appeared on some licenses in the 1990s, allowing information to be electronically accessed. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, states placed greater emphasis on making identification documents harder to counterfeit.

Modern licenses can now contain multiple security features, including holograms, microprinting and laser-perforated images. Some states have also replaced older magnetic stripes with barcodes and other digitally readable features.

The driver's license is changing in another way, too. Several states now allow residents to carry digital versions on smartphones or smartwatches, while some have introduced online components for driver's tests.

Yet the role of the driver's license has changed beyond simply proving that someone can drive. What began as a basic response to the sudden arrival of automobiles has become one of America's most familiar forms of identification.

More than a century after cars first became a source of confusion on American streets, the driver's license remains a requirement for motorists in every state. But the document itself has come a long way — from a simple piece of paper to a highly secured identification credential that can now exist on a phone.