Mississippi Permit Restrictions
In order to safeguard new drivers, the licensing procedure was divided into a number of steps and new drivers are first issued with a learners permit. Your Mississippi learners permit allows you to practice driving, but it comes with various learners permit restrictions. Mississippi permit restrictions are age depended, so you have to check what restrictions apply to you. If you received a temporary learners permit under the Mississippi graduated drivers license program, you will need to make sure to observe all temporary permit restrictions as well as the regular age and safety limitations.
Many people wonder why is there a need for all these restrictions and why not issue everyone who's able to pass a learners permit and drivers license tests with a full unrestricted Mississippi drivers license right away. If someone is able to pass the exams, doesn't it mean that this someone is ready to get out on the road and start driving alone?
It turns out that passing the required exams is frequently not enough for becoming a safe and confident driver. When it comes to safe driving, experience is what really matters. Experience allows you to avoid common mistakes, anticipate dangerous situations and to escape them. Unfortunately, there is only one way to acquire this experience and that is to spend countless hours behind the wheel. When you are taking your Mississippi drivers license test, the examiner will try to get a thorough evaluation of your driving ability, but he only has 15 to 30 minutes to do that and during this time, only your basic driving skills can be evaluated. Driving is more than just being able to parallel-park or making a full stop at an intersection when it's required and advanced driving skills can be acquired only if you dedicate time to driving practice.
Sadly, not everyone understands this fact and this is why the Department of Public Safety was forced to break the licensing procedure into a few phases. The number of phases you have to go through depends on your age, with teenagers being subjected to additional Mississippi graduated drivers license requirements, but even adults have to go through the learners permit phase. The learners permit restrictions allow new drivers to acquire the essential driving experience in a relatively safe and controlled driving environment.
Mississippi Permit Restrictions - Over 18 Years of Age
If you receive an instruction permit after your eighteenth birthday, there are not that many Mississippi permit restrictions that apply to you. The only thing that you really cannot do is driving alone. Your learners permit was intended for driving practice only, not for using it as a full driver license. Whenever you are out driving, you must have a supervising driver accompany you. The supervising driver must hold a valid drivers license and be at least 21 years old.
Although not restricted, talking on a cell phone is strongly discouraged. Talking on a phone is a distraction and as a new inexperienced driver you must try to pay as much attention as possible to the road ahead of you and other vehicles that surround you. If you need to make a phone call, stop where's it's safe to do so and don't start driving again until you finish talking on the phone.
There is no minimum holding period for your learners permit and you can go ahead and apply for a full drivers license the next business day after you receive a learners permit, but we advise against such approach. You should try to spend as much time as possible driving with another experienced driver before attempting to pass the test. This will not only make the drivers test go smoother, but will also help you be a safe and confident driver when you finally start driving alone.
Though there aren't any real permit restrictions for adult drivers, they still have to go through the same testing procedures as teenagers. You will be required to pass a Mississippi permit test before you can be issued with a drivers license. The test covers the state driving rules, safe driving practices and road sign. Considering the fact that more than a half of all first time applicants fail the test the first time they take it, you may want to take a Mississippi practice permit test before you try yourself against the real thing.
Mississippi Permit Restrictions - Under 18 Years of Age
If you are under the age of 18, the learners permit restrictions that you need to observe are very similar to those that apply to older drivers. First of all, you are not allowed to drive alone and must have a supervising driver 21 years of age or older seated next to you at all times. The supervising driver must be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any time.
According to the graduated license law, you are to observe these restrictions for at least 12 months. The minimum age for taking the drivers license test is 16, so until then, you will have to drive with a supervisor.
Please note that safe responsible driving is very important and the DPS watches young drivers very closely. If you receive a ticket for a moving violation or are involved in an at-fault traffic accident, the holding period for your Mississippi learners permit will be extended by another 12 months. In some cases, your driving privilege can be suspended or canceled.
Mississippi Temporary Permit Restrictions
The stat offers teenagers to enter the graduated license system a little earlier, at the age of 14, provided they complete a Mississippi drivers education program. For this purpose, a temporary learners permit can be issued. The temporary learners permit restrictions are different from the restrictions placed on a regular drivers permit in the way that the temporary permit allows driving only with a licensed drivers education instructor. The permit is valid only for the time of your involvement in a drivers education class, if you drop out of the program or finish it, the permit is rendered invalid.
Remember: you are not allowed to drive with your parents if you are under the age of 15 and have a temporary learners permit! This is very important and if you break this restrictions, you will lose all driving privileges. The official Mississippi drivers manual contains more information about temporary permits.
Mississippi Intermediate License Restrictions
Teenagers who successfully fulfilled all learners permit requirements and passed the driver test are awarded with an intermediate drivers license. Your intermediate license allows you to drive alone, without a supervising driver, but you must still observe the following intermediate drivers license restrictions:
- No night time driving. You can only drive alone between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. If you would like to drive during the restricted hours, you must have a supervising drive accompany you.
The provisional license restrictions are lifted once you hold your provisional license for at least six months, free of any moving violations.
