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Most states allow driving licenses starting at age 15, but not Kentucky. Lawmakers want to change that

Kentucky’s restrictions on younger drivers are an outlier among his peers, says state Rep. Steven Rudy.

As the 2025 General Assembly prepares for a busy month in February, Paducah Republicans and the leader of the Republican House of Representatives are pushing for change.

House Bill 15, introduced earlier this month by Rudy during the first week of the session, would lower the age at which teens in the Bluegrass State are eligible to get behind the wheel.

In an interview last week, the representative from Kentucky’s western corner said the legislation could help more young people find part-time jobs without cutting back on the training they need before hitting the road.

“When we look at the labor force participation rate in our state, it’s low across the board, but even in this teenage area,” Rudy said. “How many jobs in the fast food sector could be filled by students who want a job but simply can’t get one? Especially more in rural areas.”

Current laws in Kentucky allow people 16 and older to apply for a driver’s license, which allows them to drive a car as long as there is an adult at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license next to them. After 180 days, that teen can apply for an intermediate driver’s license, which allows them to drive alone with some restrictions, and at age 17 they are eligible for a fully unrestricted driver’s license.

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If Rudy’s bill passes and becomes law, those ages will shift, allowing younger drivers to hit the road. A 15-year-old could apply for a license and would be eligible for a full license at age 16 1/2.

Rep. Steven Rudy, Republican House leader, speaks during the 2024 session. This year, Rudy introduced a bill that would lower the age at which teens are eligible for a driver’s license from 16 to 15.

He has a coalition of support behind him, with 19 other Republicans and one Democrat (Frankfort’s Erika Hancock) signed on as co-sponsors.

Notably, House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, is one of them, which bodes well for the prospects for the future. The top Republican in the House mentioned it unprompted on the first day of the session as a bill that could be a priority, and Rudy noted that Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, also among the proposals belongs. co-sponsors.

“I think the House is on board,” he said. “I think you’ll see it come out of the House pretty early when we come back in February, and we’ll start those conversations in the Senate when it gets there.”

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Every contiguous state of Kentucky allows 15-year-olds to apply for a permit. Rudy said the proposal would put the Commonwealth on par with other nearby states, where car accident rates are “no higher than ours.”

Teenagers don’t necessarily have a widespread reputation as the most careful drivers on the road. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens ages 15 to 18 in the U.S., with 2,514 fatalities in crashes involving a teen driver in 2022.

Rudy has heard the numbers. Deaths on the road are “always a concern and we will continue to monitor road safety”, he said. But manufacturers are “continually making cars safer,” he said, and many deaths can be attributed to distracted driving — young drivers will still be required to drive with a licensed driver next to them as long as they have their license, he said. they have to keep focused on the road.

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“If they get it when they turn 15, they will have a licensed 21-year-old, awake and sober, riding with them, which will be more experience and more training,” Rudy said. “That’s where you really see the difference. Experienced drivers are better drivers, and I think more experience and training is a good thing.”

Naitore Djigbenou, director of Kentucky’s Office of Public Affairs, said Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration “is working on a review of the legislation, and we will continue to monitor the bill as it moves through the legislative process.”

HB 15 has not yet received a committee assignment. The 2025 General Assembly is not currently in session, and lawmakers will reconvene for three weeks starting February 4. If no budget is passed, lawmakers will meet for just 30 days this year instead of 60, and GOP leaders have said they expect less. bills are passed accordingly.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky General Assembly, which is committed to lowering the driver’s license age to 15

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