It’s official: 15-year-olds can now drive in Kentucky, as Gov. Beshear signs emergency bill
With one stroke of the governor’s pen, 15-year-olds in Kentucky are now eligible to drive.
House Bill 15, from Rep. Steven Rudy, R-Paducah, lowered the age Kentucky teens can get their instructional permits from 16 to 15. The bill had an emergency clause, so it went into effect immediately.
If a sketch-style video from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office highlighting his signing of the bill is any indication, teens hungry for more independence are happy with the change.
In the video, Beshear’s teenage son Will and daughter Lila are seen heckling the governor to support the legislation. It ends with Will Beshear presenting the bill to his father for his signature.
“To all the 15-year-olds out there: Drive safely,” Gov. Beshear says in the video.
The bill saw near-unanimous GOP approval in the legislature, as well as the support of a majority of Democrats.
The change to the permit age, effective immediately, aligns Kentucky with the vast majority of its neighbors in the South and Midwest. Kentucky was one of only eight states that made teens wait until the age of 16. Currently, every state South of Kentucky lets 15-year-olds get their instructional permits.
Proponents of the bill have pointed out that it will allow more youths to seek employment and to learn under the tutelage of a licensed adult before moving on to a full license.
In addition to changing when Kentuckians can get a learner’s permit, the law allows 16-year-old teen drivers who have had their permits for more than 180 days to get their intermediate license. Before, the earliest age a driver could have acquired a restricted license — where they’re allowed to hit the road alone with some time and passenger restrictions — was 16 1/2.
The bill initially lowered the age at which a Kentucky driver can get a full license, but a Senate committee substitute reverted it back to 17.
Under the new law, permit holders still must be accompanied by a licensed driver 21 or older in the passenger’s seat. Further, Nothing would change about the written knowledge and vision tests aspiring drivers need to take to get their instructional permits.
Upon receiving the governor’s signature Tuesday, the bill went into effect.
The rationale for the emergency given by the bill?
“Whereas there is a need to expand economic and cultural opportunities for the Commonwealth’s youth through increased transportation options, an emergency is declared to exist,” the bill reads
