Kentucky Permit Restrictions - Kentucky Driving Permit Rules
Lack of driving experience is probably the number one cause of traffic accidents. This is why when you apply for a drivers license, you are issued with a learners permit first. The learners permit comes with numerous restrictions, the main one being that you can only drive while being supervised by a more experienced driver. In Kentucky, permit restrictions depend on the age of the licensee and include, but are not limited to, a curfew, passenger restrictions and mandatory driver safety classes. If you choose to ignore these Kentucky driving permit rules, you will most likely lose your driving privilege and be awarded with a handsome fine.
Who Needs the Kentucky Learners Permit Restrictions
There is no simple answer to this questions. The limitation that are posed onto the permit holder are there both for their own safety and for safety of those who surround them on the road. Teenage drivers have the highest crash rates among all age groups and certain measures are required to reduce the damages to the minimum. In fact, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing (what most of us know as a DMV), has developed a graduated drivers license system that governs the licensing procedure for teenage drivers and keeps them out of trouble. The graduated drivers license restrictions apply only to those drivers who are under 18 years of age. You may refer to the official Kentucky drivers license handbook for detailed information about the GDL program.
Although the graduated license requirements apply only to teenagers, drivers who are over 18 years of age must also observe the regular learners permit restrictions.
Kentucky Drivers Permit Rules - Older than 18
If you are over 18 years of age and you already received your Kentucky drivers permit, you will need to observe the following rules:
- Supervised driving only. You cannot operate a vehicle unless you are accompanied by another licensed driver who is at least 21 years old or older.
- No cell phone. You cannot use any communication devices while operating a vehicle.
If you are 18 to 21 years old, you will need to hold your instruction permit for at least 180 days before you can apply for you regular Kentucky drivers license. If you are over 21 years of age, the holding period is reduced to 30 days.
Kentucky Learners Permit Rules - Under 18
If you are under 18 years of age, you will need to observe all graduated drivers license restrictions and fulfill the program requirements before you can apply for a drivers license. At the moment, the following permit restrictions apply to teenage drivers:
- Supervised driving only. A supervising driver who holds a valid drivers license and is at least 21 years old must be seated next to the driver whenever he or she operated a vehicle.
- Curfew. No driving is allowed between midnight and 6 a.m. Exceptions can be made when traveling to and from work or in emergency situations.
- No serious violation of the traffic laws. If you are convicted of a serious traffic offense, your 180 days holding period will start again from the date of the violation or your driving privileges will be withdrawn.
- No cell phones. You cannot use any communication devices while operating a vehicle.
The restrictions listed above apply to those who are under 18 years of age and currently hold a Kentucky drivers permit. Those who hold an intermediate drivers license are allowed to drive unsupervised, but still have to observe the following rules:
- Curfew. No unsupervised driving between midnight and 6 a.m. If you need to travel during this period, you have to have a supervising driver seated next to you.
- Passenger restrictions. Only one person under 20 years of age is allowed to be present in the vehicle unless a supervising driver is seated next to the intermediate license holder.
- Traffic violations. If you accumulate more than 6 points within 180 days, your driving privilege will be suspended.
Please remember: although the Kentucky permit rules may seem somewhat annoying and irritating at this point, they were designed for your own safety and they do work. Driving is a dangerous activity and you should take these drivers permit restrictions seriously.
If you are just applying for your learners permit, you will have to take a learners permit test. More than a half of all first time applicants fail the permit test the first time they take it, mostly because they do not study. If you don't want to take one of the drivers education classes, you should at least read the drivers handbook and take some Kentucky permit practice tests. Doing so will ensure your success on the exam and you won't have to waste your time on multiple visits to the DMV.
