Oklahoma Permit Restrictions
If you passed your Oklahoma permit test and received a learners permit, you must be aware that this is not a full drivers license yet and you must observe all permit restrictions until you are awarded with a license. Oklahoma permit restrictions were designed to keep you safe while you are acquiring the essential driving experience. Permit restrictions differ depending on the age of the permit holder and younger drivers have to observe all graduated drivers license restrictions and requirements in addition to the restrictions implied for older drivers. Failure to observe the Oklahoma permit restrictions may result in your driving privileges being suspended or canceled.
If you just received your Oklahoma learners permit, you may be wondering as to why you need to observe these learners permit restrictions and why not grant you with the full driving privileges “as soon as you feel ready”. A while ago, it used to be the case when you could take the required tests and get your drivers license right away, no matter what age you are. However, as the traffic conditions become more and more complicated, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety adjusts the licensing procedures to ensure that all drivers license holders are up to the task of driving on modern roads.
Experience is everything when it comes to driving and experience is exactly what new drivers don't have. Experience allows more seasoned drivers to correctly predict and avoid any situation that can potentially become dangerous. As you spend hundreds of hours behind the wheel, you learn the skills that allow you to do the same thing, however if you just got licensed, you don't have those hours of experience yet. If you are under 18 years of age, you should have at least 50 hours of driving experience, as required by the Oklahoma graduated drivers license law, but older drivers frequently don't have even these mere 50 hours of driving experience when they go in for the driving test.
By issuing you with a learners permit instead of a full drivers license, the DPS grants you the chance to gain some driving experience under the supervision of a more experienced driver who will guide you through your first hours of driving and whose knowledge will compensate for your lack of experience. Although many new drivers view this as a restrictions, in fact, it's more of a benefit. Your first year of driving is the most dangerous one and the DPS is just trying to steer you clear of any danger.
Oklahoma Permit Restrictions - Over 18 Years of Age
If you are 18 years of age or older, there is not that many driving permit restrictions for you to observe, you just have to make sure that you are not driving alone. Whenever you are behind the wheel, you must have a licensed driver 21 years of age or older seated next to you. The supervising driver must be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any time. Go slow and use this time wisely, try to gain as many driving hours as possible before you go in to take your Oklahoma drivers test so you can pass the test the first time you take it. You may even opt into some professional driving instructions and take a few lessons through a driving school. A professional driving instructor will teach you the skills required for passing the exam and show you the most common mistakes made by the Oklahoma drivers license applicants.
Please remember that even though you are excused from observing the graduated license restrictions, you are still subject to the same testing procedures as younger drivers. Before you can be issued with a drivers permit, you will be required to pass an Oklahoma permit test and most applicants fail the test the first time they take it. If you want to see what the real permit test is like, treat yourself to some Oklahoma practice permit tests, they use similar wording and cover the same subjects as the actual DPS permit test.
Oklahoma Permit Restrictions - Under 18 Years of Age
If you are under 18 years of age, there are additional learners permit restrictions and requirements for you to observe. If you are applying for a learners permit when you are 15 years, 6 months old, you must complete or be enrolled in a state-approved Oklahoma drivers education course. Thankfully, there are many options for fulfilling drivers ed requirements today and you can choose between taking the class at high school, a commercial driving school or take one of the Oklahoma parent taught drivers education classes. All these classes will fulfill drivers ed requirements, provided you take a state-approved class.
Once you passed the required tests and got your learners permit, you can start driving with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age. You will need to hold your learners permit for at least six months before you can take a drivers test. During this period, you must finish your drivers education class and complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving, 10 of these hours must be done at night. In order for the driving hours to count towards this 50 hour requirement, the supervising driver must have at least two years of driving experience.
If you receive a traffic ticket during your learners permit holding period, the holding period is extended by another six months.
Oklahoma Provisional Drivers License Restrictions
Once you fulfill the requirements of the previous stage, you are upgraded to a provisional drivers license. Although the provisional license allows you to drive alone, without a supervising driver, it still have certain license restrictions that you must observe. Please keep in mind: these restrictions apply only to drivers who are under 18 years of age. If you are 18 years of age or older, you don't have to apply for a provisional drivers license and you don't have to observe the provisional license restrictions. The official Oklahoma drivers handbook has more information about the licensing procedure for older drivers, you may want to check it out.
At the moment, the provisional driver license restrictions in Oklahoma are as following:
- Curfew. You can only drive alone between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. You can only drive at night if you are driving to work, school, church or related activities or if a licensed driver over 21 years of age is seated next to you.
- Passenger restrictions. No more than one passenger under the age of 21 can be present in the vehicle unless they are members of your immediate family.
The provisional drivers license restrictions must be observed for another six months. Just like with a learners permit, the holding period id extended by another six months if you receive a traffic violation. At the end of the holding period, the restrictions are lifted and you are awarded with a full unrestricted driver license.
