What You Should Know About the Idaho Graduated Driver’s License Program
Like most of the states across the nation, Idaho adopted the GDL program as a way to give new drivers more time to develop safe skills and defensive driving techniques that will keep them safe when they are on the road. Unlike most states, here the program starts at age 14 and a half and ends at age 17 or when all the requirements of the GDL are met. Note that all drivers under 17 must complete a certified driver education program before they can get a license.
Six months after your 14th birthday, you can apply for an instruction permit that will allow you complete a driver education course. After you are finished with the course, you will use the same permit to practice driving with a parent or driving supervisor for the next six months.
Your supervisor must be a licensed driver age 21 or older, and they must occupy the front passenger seat. They must be with you while you accumulate 50 or more practice driving hours, and ten of those hours must be driven at night. If you incur any violation during this period, your permit will be canceled, and you will have to start the 180-days supervised driving period from the beginning.
At age 15, after completing driver’s ed and practicing the required number of hours, you are eligible for a restricted license. If you are under 16 while holding this license, you are able to drive 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset without a supervisor. However, if you drive at night, you must be accompanied by a licensed adult age 21 or over.
If you are under age 17, you will not be able to have more than one passenger under age 17 for the first six months of having your restricted license, unless your passenger is an immediate family member.
When you turn 17 or after holding the restricted license for 180 days, you are eligible for full driving privileges with an unrestricted license.