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Tennessee Graduated Drivers License Program in Laymans Terms

Drivers License, Learner's Permit, Restricted

Getting a drivers license is a monumental event for teenagers all across the country. It’s one more step toward independence and it gives them a little more freedom. Each state has its own specific laws regarding issuing a drivers license to a teenager. Tennessee teenagers must complete a graduated driver’s license program before receiving unrestricted driving privileges. The requirements of this graduated program can be quite overwhelming to an anxious teen who just wants to drive. I’ve broken down Tennessee’s Graduated Driver License program in to easy to understand directions. Follow these directions and you’ll be behind the wheel in no time!

The first step to getting your driver’s license in Tennessee is to attain a Learner Permit. The minimum age to attain a Learner Permit is fifteen. A learner permit allows you to drive only while you are accompanied by an adult licensed driver over the age of 21. With a Learner Permit, you are not allowed to drive between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am. Everyone in the car must wear their seatbelts and children must be properly restrained.

You must have had a Learner Permit for a minimum of 180 days and be at least sixteen years old, before you may apply for the next phase in the licensing program, the Intermediate Restricted License. If you are a teenager licensed in another state for at least 90 days you will be issued the Intermediate Restricted License upon moving to Tennessee. With the Intermediate Restricted License all passengers must be properly restrained at all times. To attain this license your parent or guardian must submit certification stating you have had at least 50 hours of driving experience, and at least 10 of those hours must have been night driving. The certificate is downloadable from the Tennessee Department of Safety website. Teens with the Intermediate Restricted License may not drive after 11:00pm and not before 6:00 am, unless accompanied by a licensed driver over the age of twenty-one. With this level of license you are not allowed to have more than one passenger in the car unless the passengers are over the age of twenty-one.

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Once you have had your Intermediate Restricted License for a period of one year and you are at least seventeen, you may apply for the Intermediate Unrestricted License. You cannot have accumulated 6 or more points, been in an at-fault crash, or been convicted of two seatbelt violations to attain this level of licensing. Your license will still be intermediate but the restrictions will have been removed. Once you have held this license for at least twelve months and are at least eighteen years of age, you may then graduate to a Regular Class D license.

Once you’ve completed these requirements without incident of citations or accidents you will become a regular licensed driver in the State of Tennessee. I recommend you visit the Department of Safety website and familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations so that you are prepared for the testing and each step of the graduated license program.

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