Learning to drive is a significant life milestone that is frequently interpreted as an indication of self-reliance and accountability. Due to various legislative requirements, safety concerns, and cultural norms, the legal driving age varies globally.
For instance, drivers must be at least 18 in several North American and European nations. The legal age is sixteen in a number of Asian and African nations.
Depending on the state, the legal driving age in the United States is typically 16, although the nation has a graduated licensing system where teenagers first learn to drive with a learner’s permit before progressing to a limited license and finally a full license.
However, this age has recently been dropped in one of the U.S. states. We are discussing Kentucky, where House Bill 15 was approved by the Senate and signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear.
By bringing Kentucky into compliance with neighboring states West Virginia and Tennessee, the new law essentially reduces the legal driving age to 15 years old.
What is the purpose of the bill?
According to current Kentucky law, drivers who have obtained their learner’s permit, which permits them to drive with an adult, can apply for an intermediate permit at the age of 16.
Teens will be permitted to apply for an intermediate driver’s license at the age of 15 under the new law, with the goal of obtaining their full license at 16. With these, they will be able to drive alone, but with limitations.
Young drivers cannot obtain a complete driver’s license without any restrictions until they are 17 years old.
Young people will be able to obtain a full driver’s license at the age of 16.5—six months earlier than previously—by applying for a restricted driver’s license at the age of 15.
How to obtain a Kentucky driver’s license?
In the process, the new law makes few changes. Young drivers still have to finish a practice driving log, pass a test, and pass a vision exam.
For teenagers who received their driver’s license between the ages of 15 and 17, Kentucky, like other states, has a Graduated Driver Licensing scheme. Drivers must log at least 180 hours of driving while in possession of this permit.
They are not permitted to drive between 12 and 6 a.m. without a valid reason, and they can only drive with a licensed adult who is at least 21 years old.
Following this permit phase, drivers who pass their driving exam and are between the ages of 15 and 17 will receive an intermediate license.
In order to obtain a full unrestricted driver’s license, drivers must first possess this intermediate license for at least 180 days (six months), finish an education course, and be at least 17 years old.
Is driving a car at the age of 15 safe?
Although Kentucky has allowed 15-year-olds to obtain a driver’s license, there are still measures in place to ensure their safety. Teenagers must complete 60 hours of driving, 10 of which must be at night, in order to be eligible for a license.
Above all, they can only drive with a shotgun-wielding adult who is at least 21 years old and has a driver’s license.
Supporters of the new rule claim that it will give drivers more time to gain experience on the road before they are granted a full license, which could lower the number of accidents.
The legislation’s opponents counter that 15-year-olds lack the maturity to drive.
With 2,514 fatalities in 2022, auto accidents rank as the biggest cause of death for teenagers in the United States between the ages of 15 and 18. These statistics are alarming to parents.
Parents still have the right to make their teenager wait, though, even if the legal age has been lowered.
Source: lagradaonline
