Kentucky Now Lets 15-Year-Olds Drive — Experts Warn of Road Safety, Training Challenges

Learning to drive is a big step in anyone’s life. It’s often seen as a sign of independence and duty. Around the world, the legal age to drive is different because of different laws, safety issues, and cultural norms.

Like, drivers must be at least 18 years old in many European and North American countries. There are places in Asia and Africa where 16 is the legal age. In the US, based on the state, 16 is the legal age to drive. However, the country has a graduated licensing program that lets teens learn to drive with a learner’s permit, then move on to a restricted license, and finally to a full license.

One U.S. state has just dropped this age, though. This is about Kentucky. House Bill 15 was passed by the Senate and signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear. With this new rule, the minimum age to get a driver’s license is lowered to 15. This makes Kentucky the same as Tennessee and West Virginia, which are neighboring states.

What does the bill cover?

According to Kentucky law, a 16-year-old driver can apply for an intermediate permit as long as they already have a learner’s permit, which lets them drive with an adult. This new rule lets teens get an intermediate driver’s license when they are 15 years old. They can then get their full license when they are 16 years old. They can drive on their own with these, but there are some rules.

Not until they are 17 years old can a young driver get a full license with no limits. Young people can now apply for a limited driver’s license when they are 15 years old. This means that they can get a full driver’s license when they are 16.5 years old, which is six months earlier than before.

What you need to do to get a Kentucky driver’s license

The process doesn’t change much because of the new law. Teenagers who want to drive still have to pass a test, an eye test, and keep a practice driving log.

Kentucky, like many other states, has a program called Graduated Driver Licensing for teens who got their pass between the ages of 15 and 17. It is required that drivers with this pass log at least 180 hours of driving. That person can only drive with a legal adult who is at least 21 years old. Also, they can’t drive without a good reason between 12am and 6am.

Teenagers and adults between the ages of 15 and 17 who pass their driving test will then get an intermediate license. After getting this intermediate license, drivers must keep it for at least 180 days, or six months, finish an education course, and be at least 17 years old before they can get their full, unrestricted license.

When a person turns 15, is it safe for them to drive?

Ohio now lets 15-year-olds get driver’s licenses, but there are some safety measures in place to keep them safe. Teenagers must drive for 60 hours, with 10 of those hours having to be at night, in order to get a license. But most importantly, they can only drive with an adult driver shotgun who is at least 21 years old and has a license.

Arguments in favor of the new rule say that it will give drivers more time on the road before they can get a full license. This extra time may help lower the number of accidents.

People who are against the law, on the other hand, say that 15-year-olds aren’t mature enough to drive. Two thousand and five hundred teens (15–18 years old) died in car accidents in 2022, making them the top cause of death among teens in the U.S. Teenagers don’t have to get a license just because the age limit has been dropped, though. Their parents can still make them wait.

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