The number of very (very) Young drivers in the Hawkeye State could be about to increase.
New legislation has gone into effect in Iowa that allows students to get their driver’s license, allowing them to drive unaccompanied, at the age of 14 and a half.
There are, as you can imagine, some restrictions. Licencecalled a special restricted license for minors, stipulates that young drivers can only use the license to travel to school and work, to participate in extracurricular activities, or to do farm work to help their parents or employers. They will need to have completed a driving course and hold an instruction permit (known as a minor’s driving license). a learner’s license (in some states) for six months with a clean driving record. (The state allows 14-year-olds to drive with adult supervision.)
Should holders of these new restricted shares licenses If they break the traffic rules while driving, they will face harsher penalties than other drivers. They are also not allowed to carry more than one minor passenger who is not a member of their family.
Although the new minimum requirement for a restricted license in Iowa is low, it is not unique. South Dakota also allows 14-and-a-half-year-olds to obtain a restricted minor’s driving license, allowing them to drive virtually anywhere they want from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
However, some drivers in the state were a little hesitant about the potential influx of new drivers.
“It’s going to be riskier for everyone, driving at night, exercising in the morning,” said Steve Vernon, owner of AAAA Driving School. told WQAD“They’re inexperienced, I mean they’re going to get their license and then two days later they’re going to be driving.”
