What's the driving age in your state?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Was reading the other thread about driving and was shocked that so many of you parents thought 16 was too young to drive, althought that could be the fact that I’m 19 kicking in :wink: So here goes…what’s the licensing age/process in your state?</p>

<p>State
Age(s)</p>

<p>Iowa
14: Can get learner’s permit. Must have learner’s permit to take Driver’s Ed course. MUST take DE to get next permit/license, or they have to wait until 18 to get license w/o DE and will usually have higher insurance rates. May drive with as many passengers as there are seat belts, but must ALWAYS have a parent, family member over 21, or designated adult over 25 in front passenger seat. Must drive accident and violation free for six consecutive months before moving to next level.</p>

<p>6 months after obtaining learner’s permit: Can get school permit. If you live over one mile from your school you may drive the most direct route to and from school and HOME school functions. Sorry, no away games.</p>

<p>16: Intermediate license; can drive unsupervised between 5 AM and 12:30 AM and can drive between 12:30 AM and 5 AM w/ parent, family over 21, designated adult over 25, or can drive between 12:30 and 5 if you qualify under a work appeal. Must drive accident and violation free for 12 consecutive months before moving onto next level.</p>

<p>17: Full license. No restrictions.</p>

<p>It’s called the Graduated Driver’s License and seems to work well.</p>

2

<p>Yeah, I think I was reading the same post you did cards, because I am from Iowa too and thought it was odd tht a 16 year old still had to have someone over 25 with them. I am 16 and only have two monts left till I get my full license.</p>

3

<p>In Montana I got my full liscence at 15. Now they have some graduated system where you get the full one at 18.</p>

4

<p>Maryland. I think this is the latest. Leaner’s permit at 15 3/4. Must have that for at least 6 months before taking the license test. License is provisional for 18 months… no driving between midnight and 5AM (unless work or school related) and a few other things. ANY infraction and the 18 months provisional status starts all over again IF you manage to keep your license in driving court.</p>

5

<p>Massachusetts-
learner’s permit @ age 16. Can drive with person 21+ who has had a license for a year. Cannot drive in other states if it is against the law.</p>

<p>driver’s license-six months after permit issued. Restriction: Cannot drive between 1230-5am. No passengers besides family for first 6 months. Speeding ticket or any other violation(including passenger violation)=3 months suspsension of license for first offense.</p>

6

<p>Wow, they sure do things differently in Iowa – here in Massachusetts, you can only get your learner’s permit once you turn 16.</p>

<p>Once you have your learner’s permit, you must take 30 classroom hours, I believe it is something like 15 hours of behind the wheel driving lessons, plus 30 (or maybe it is now 50? – this has just changed) practice hours behind the wheel (with parent or other adult).</p>

<p>Six months after you get your learner’s permit, you can take the test once you have fulfilled the requirements outlined above. You are only permitted to have family members as passengers and driving is restricted to certain hours (??5:30am to 11pm??) until you become “legal” six months later (and I’m guessing that this is delayed if there have been infractions).</p>

<p>Other Massachusetts residents feel free to jump in and correct me, my daughter is just starting her driver’s ed next week (classroom hours can start at age 15 years, 9 months).</p>

<p>[Cross-posted with Green Day Fan…]</p>

7

<p>Yeah it’s 30 classroom hour, 6 hours road lessons, 6 hours observation, 12 hours with parents, no driving 1230-5. I don’t know the new laws, the aforementioned ones will be replaced September 1st.</p>

8

<p>West Virginia-
Can get Learners Permit at 15. You can only drive with an adult in the car.</p>

<p>Once you turn 16 if you’ve had your learners for 6 months you can get the next level, the Intermediate (or something like that) license. You don’t have to have had drivers ed, or ever have to take drivers ed. With your Intermediate you can drive by yourself but not after a certain hour at night (11 I think) unless you’re going to or from a church or school event. Also, you can only have a certain number of people in the car with you under 21. 3 or 4 I think.</p>

<p>Then once you hit 18 (or 17, but I think it’s 18) you get the next level up, the graduated drivers license. You can drive wherever or whenever you want but you still have a 0 alcohol tolerance. At 21 you get the “real thing.”</p>

9

<p>Michigan:</p>

<p>14 yrs 8 months to take driver’s education. 14 yrs 9 months to get a permit. A number of hours of practice then required including nighttime hours. Age Sixteen to get a probationary license. May not drive after midnight for a year after acquiring a driver’s license. </p>

<p>Sounds good to me.</p>

10

<p>New York - must know how to holler loud enough for the guy ahead to move out of the way (J/k)</p>

11

<p>Oregon</p>

<p>May get their learner’s permit at 15+.</p>

<p>May get their driver’s license at age 16+. Must have completed either 100 hours of supervised driving (with licensed driver over age 21), or have completed an approved driver training course plus 50 hours of supervised driving.</p>

<p>The license is a provisional, graduated license for 12 months: the first 6 months, no passengers under the age of 20 who are not in immediate family. The next 6 months, no more than 3 passengers who are under 20 except immediate family. For the first year, the new licensed driver can not drive between midnight and 5am unless they are:
Driving between home and work;
Driving between home and a school event for which there is no other transportation available;
Driving for employment purposes; or
Accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 25 years old.</p>

<p>At age 18, the license is no longer provisional, even if it’s less than a year old.</p>

<p>Also, ALWAYS wearing seatbelts is the law.</p>

12

<p>Washington, the state</p>

<p>Learner’s permit:<br>
15 if registered for driver’s ed and with proof of registrion
15 1/2 if not registered for driver’s ed</p>

<p>License:
Must have completed driver’s, had permit for 6 months AND logged in 50 driving hours with an experienced driver at least 21 years of age (but the 50 is a “self monitoring deal”). Must pass a written and a driving test. Technically can be on 16th birthday.
First 6 months are restricted-can only have family members in car when driving and no driving between 1 am to 5 am).</p>

13

<p>New York</p>

<p>correct me if I’m wrong, because I think it’s incredibly confusing</p>

<p>can get learner’s permit at 16
Limited Junior license at 16 which downstate means no driving alone.
Junior license at 16.5 - generally no night time driving and driving alone only to school and work.</p>

<p>Junior drivers: You may not drive with more than two passengers under the age of 21 unless they are members of your immediate family, or your accompanying driver is your licensed parent, guardian, person “in loco parentis,” driver education teacher or driving school instructor.</p>

<p>Senior license at 17.</p>

<p>In addition: PROBATION PERIOD FOR ALL OTHER NEW LICENSED DRIVERS</p>

<p>If you are age 18 or older when you pass your road test for a driver license, or obtain a license following revocation, you will be on probation for six months.</p>

<p>If you are convicted of speeding, reckless driving, following too closely, participating in a speed contest, or two other traffic violations while on probation, your license will be suspended for 60 days. If you are found guilty of committing one of the above violations, or two other moving violations during this second probation period, your license will be revoked for at least six months. When the revocation or suspension ends, you will be on probation for another six months.</p>

<p>ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG VIOLATIONS FOR DRIVERS UNDER 21</p>

<p>If you are under age 21 when arrested, your permit, license, or driving privileges will be revoked for at least one year if you are convicted of any alcohol- or drug-related driving violation, or if there is a judge’s finding that you refused to submit to a chemical test (including a test under the state’s “Zero Tolerance Law”. Even if you complete an approved Drinking Driver Program in fewer days, your revocation will continue until the end of the scheduled period of revocation. A second violation or judge’s finding within five years requires revocation for one year or until you turn age 21, whichever is longer. These penalties apply even if you are adjudicated as a youthful offender, or if you were arrested or convicted out of state.</p>

14

<p>California:</p>

<p>Permit at 15.5</p>

<p>Provisional License at 16</p>

<p>All restrictions lifted after one year, so full license at 17</p>

<p>any Californians can elaborate, etc :D. I’m 18 now, and never worried about the restrictions (why would I want to drive around at 2am anyway? ;)).</p>

15

<p>North Carolina</p>

<p>14.5…may take the Driver’s Ed Class (free for public school students)
All drivers under 18 are required to take Driver’s Ed. in order to take
Learner’s Permit test at the DMV.</p>

<p>15…May take the Learner’s Permit (written) test and must score 80%
correct to pass. Must keep Learner’s Permit for one whole year
before taking the Provisional License test. Must have a parent in
the car while driving w/ L. Permit.</p>

<p>16…Eligible to take the test (road driving test) for Provisional Driver’s License
once completing a year of practice driving with L. Permit.
With Provisional license…no more than 1 passenger under age 18 and
no driving after 9p.m. Provisional License lasts 6 months.</p>

<p>16.5…If no violations while drivng with Prov. Lic., may get unrestricted
license.</p>

16

<p>I think NJ may be the most restrictive state, thankfully. Our roads are terribly congested, it’s not easy learning to drive here.</p>

<p>

</p>

17

<p>Illinois - can get permit at age 15 with parental consent and proof of enrollment in a driver’s ed class. At age 16, with at least three months of having your learner’s permit, and 50 hours of behind the wheel (10 must be nighttime driving) supervision (also self monitored), you may get your driver’s license. The restrictions at this point are: for the first six months, only one passenger is allowed unless additional passengers are siblings (helps parents with carting kids around). At 18 these restrictions are lifted.</p>

<p>Effective July 1st of this year, the Secretary of State’s office may cancel the license of anyone under 18 who fails to maintain school attendance. Also, under 18 cannot use a cell phone while driving.</p>

<p>Illinois stands out as the only state where, if you get a moving violation, your license is actually taken by law enforcement as bond for your showing up in court. There’s big controversy right now about changing this due to heightened security since 9/11. People need a picture ID more often now for things, that it becomes a major inconvenience to not have a license to pull out. A couple of years ago I got a ticket for driving on the shoulder… my fault entirely. But I was scheduled to fly out for vacation a few days later, and needed my ID to get through the airport, rent a car, etc. So they told me I could come to the police station that night and post the $75 cash bond to get my license back, which I did. You can give them a AAA card for bond, but since I was traveling, I needed that to show to various places to get my AAA discount. It really is a pain in the butt, and hasn’t been repealed because downstate counties believe it encourages people to pay their fines more often, or show up for court (if you choose going to court, you get your license back when you show up that day), and not blow the citation off.</p>

18

<p>Vt</p>

<p>Permit at 15 after passing written test. Can only drive with licensed VT driver of a certain age–can’t remember. At 16, can get permit after passing a road test. Probably have to have driver’s ed. Need a certain amount of documented practice driving. Can’t drive minors, except sibs, for next 6 months. I think I got that right. We don’t have a lot of traffic.</p>

19

<p>mathmom,
For NY, the only thing I would add is that you can only get your full senior license at age 17 if you have successfully completed driver’s ed. If you do not take driver’s ed, you have to wait until age 18 for a full unrestricted senior license. I was delighted that NY added the graduated licensing provisions a couple of years ago. Now you have to wait for 6 months after you receive your learner’s permit before you can receive your junior license.
Why do I care so much? Two boys who will turn 16 in January. :eek:</p>

20

<p>Arkansas:
Take written test to get permit at 14.
Take driving test 30 days to 6 months after getting permit. If your permit expires before you pass the driving test, you take the written test again.</p>

<p>You don’t have to take drivers ed, but many insurance agencies require a brief class.</p>

<p>You can get a license at 14 and never take another road test (my D did this).</p>

<p>However, you can’t drive alone until 16. You turn in your 14-yo license and get a new one at 16. You do the same thing at 18 and 21.</p>