{"id":24017,"date":"2024-06-11T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T10:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/?p=24017"},"modified":"2024-06-10T07:39:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T07:39:11","slug":"license-to-drive-what-it-takes-to-get-behind-the-wheel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/license-to-drive-what-it-takes-to-get-behind-the-wheel\/","title":{"rendered":"License to Drive: What it Takes to Get Behind the Wheel"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are few milestones in a teenager\u2019s life that carry quite as much anticipation, excitement, and accomplishment as acquiring a driver\u2019s license.\u00a0 From the time we are small, many of us dream of sliding in behind the wheel, fitting the key into the ignition, and lighting a driving machine into life.\u00a0 Driving can mean freedom, autonomy, and marks the turn in many teens\u2019 lives from childhood into the cusp of adulthood.\u00a0 Driving is not just a task or responsibility (even if it is both of these things); it is a rite of passage.\u00a0 So it\u2019s helpful to know when you can look forward to the licensing process for either yourself or your child.<\/p>\n

Across the United States, the legal driving age varies depending on the territory.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because each state is sovereign it its lawmaking, there is no one federal mandate that determines the exact time a person can start the process of becoming a license driver.\u00a0 What all states do<\/em> have in common, however, is that there is not a single state that allows for a license to be obtained without a significant amount of training, time span, and graduated license requirements.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

Graduated license programs, popular across the country, determine that while a teen may obtain a learning permit at one age, they are never immediately granted a full license.\u00a0 Rather, their permissions increase with time. For example, if you were to get your learner\u2019s permit in Alaska \u2013 a state that grants the first permit at the tender age of fourteen \u2013 you would only be allowed to drive supervised by licensed driver (who is at least twenty-one years old) for the next two years. This primary allowance is the result of: parental consent, the passing of a written knowledge test, the passing of a road test, near-perfect vision (or the use of corrective lenses), positive identification, a full application, and of course, any DMV fees.<\/p>\n

After two years of supervised practice driving, at sixteen years old, you\u2019d be upgraded to a provisional license. A provisional license offers more freedom than its preceding permit, allowing the young driver to navigate on their own or to carry passengers with them.\u00a0 However, the freedom to move about the state is still limited.\u00a0 Provisional licenses in Alaska prohibit drivers to operate between the hours of 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, for example. Furthermore, any passenger in the vehicle must be at least twenty-one years of age, excluding siblings.<\/p>\n

\"Learning<\/p>\n

It is not until you reach the age of eighteen that you will be granted a full, unrestricted license in the state of Alaska.\u00a0 But by then, you\u2019ll have had four whole years of careful practice under your belt, and are more likely to have become a responsible, alert driver who can shoulder the accountability of caring for passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and the other cars sharing the road.<\/p>\n

Research conducted regarding graduated driving programs has shown that the implementation of this step-by-step permitting and licensing has been integral in lowering the number of car crashes involving teen drivers.<\/h2>\n

In fact, the notable 50% decrease in accidents has inspired every single state in the country to adopt at least some form of the program to ease young drivers into the new world of sitting behind the wheel. And considering the fresh age of permitting someone at fourteen, it seems like the smart way to go about things.<\/p>\n

There are currently nine states that allow an initial learner\u2019s permit at fourteen years old: two of them requiring the driver reach fourteen and a half, one of them waiting until fourteen and nine months. At fifteen, fifteen and half, and fifteen and nine months, there are thirty-three state who will grant a permit.\u00a0 And the last eight territories require that the person be sixteen years old before obtaining the initial driving permit.<\/p>\n

\"Driving<\/p>\n

Here are a few examples of the driving ages and stages (first permit, provisional license, and full license, respectively) across several states:<\/p>\n