Question: What was required to get a North Carolina driver’s license when the General Assembly passed the Uniform Driver’s License Act in 1935?
Answer: When North Carolina’s Uniform Driver’s License Act was passed on Feb. 28, 1935, it required applicants to be at least 16 years old. No driving test was needed—only the applicant’s word that they were experienced and careful. The act defined a motor vehicle as “any rubber-tired vehicle propelled or drawn by any power other than muscular,” but excluded aircraft, road rollers, street sprinklers, ambulances, baggage trucks, and agricultural/industrial tractors.
