What You Need to Know About Getting Your Teen a Driver’s License in Illinois

Very few teens wait until they are older to get behind the wheel. However, without proper training, they can become hazards on the road. If the teen’s vehicle isn’t insured, you can end up paying out of pocket and have to pay a fine of $500 to $1,000 for not having insurance.

Before your teens get you into trouble, you need to make sure they are trained to drive a vehicle. What better way to do that than making them go through the state’s stringent licensing protocols?

Getting A Driver’s License in Illinois

You have to be at least 15 to be eligible for a driver’s license in Illinois. You need to complete three (3) stages and each requires a parent’s permission if you just turned 15. At that point, you can get an instruction permit with written consent from your parents or legal guardians. However, you have to earn it by passing a driver education course, a written test and a vision test.

Once you have the permit, you can drive, but only if you are accompanied by an adult who is older than 21 or a parent who has a valid driver’s license. Plus, they need to sit in the front passenger seat, not the back, and the vehicle should not accommodate more people than the number of seat belts it has.

New or teen drivers must accumulate more than 50 hours of driving, as well as 10 hours of night-time driving before they are allowed to move onto the first phase of the licensing procedure. However, you cannot drive all day to make those up. According to Illinois law, drivers who only have an instruction permit cannot drive:

• Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday to Thursday.
• Between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Saturday and Friday.

Once the driver turns 16 and does not have a conviction on their permit for at least nine (9) months, they can apply for their initial license. However, to get it:

• Their guardian or parent of the driver must certify they completed the aforementioned hours.
• They need to provide proof they completed a state-approved driving course, along with proof they graduated from an accredited high school or GED program.
• Their parent or guardian has to go with them to the Driver Services facility to sign a form confirming their consent.
• You need to pass a driving test.

However, even when you get your initial driver’s license, you are not out of the woods yet. You will need to follow certain restrictions by law, such as the time limits mentioned before. Additionally, for the first 12 months after you get your driver’s license or when you turn 18, you cannot have more than one passenger under 20 in the vehicle with you unless the other passenger is your sibling, step sibling, child or step child.

Even the best drivers can get into accidents. If you or someone you love has been hurt by one, you deserve to get the compensation need and deserve. If you face disputes from the insurance company or the other driver, get in touch with us at the Law Offices of Robert T. Edens today. We have more than two decades of experience successfully representing victims like you in court. Call us today in Chicago, Waukegan, Libertyville, Woodstock or Antioch, IL, and get the compensation you deserve.