After you pass in Idaho: restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the daylight limit for drivers under 16.
• You can apply the passenger limit for under-17 drivers.
• You can explain the GDL penalties that apply until 17.
• You can say when an under-18 or under-21 license expires.

What you need to know and understand

• Your license is not valid until passing results are recorded and the county office issues it. Take the sealed envelope there unopened.
• Under 16: drive only between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. unless a licensed driver aged 21 or older is in the front seat.
• Under 17: for the first 6 months, no more than one passenger under 17, unless related by blood, adoption or marriage.
• Under 17: moving violations bring a warning, then a 30-day and then a 60-day suspension.
• Licenses issued at 15 to 17 show 'Under 18 until' a date and expire five days after the 18th birthday.
• Licenses for 18 to 20-year-olds show 'Under 21 until' a date and expire five days after the 21st birthday.

Your limits at a glance

• Age 15: daylight (5 a.m. to 10 p.m.) only unless a licensed 21-plus driver is in the front seat; passenger limit for the first 6 months.
• Age 16: no daylight limit; passenger limit continues until 6 months after the license was issued.
• Age 17 and over: these GDL limits no longer apply, but the .02 alcohol limit continues until 21.

What can still take your license away

Until you turn 18, your parent or guardian who signed as liability signer can withdraw consent, and ITD will cancel your license. You must also stay in compliance with school attendance rules, because failing to do so is a listed reason for suspension. Breaking a restriction, such as driving at night under 16 or without required glasses, can also lead to suspension.

Points still apply on top of GDL penalties, and GDL suspensions allow no driving at all.

Building skill after the test

Most new-driver crashes come from inexperience, not lack of knowledge. Keep practicing with an experienced driver in conditions you have not mastered, such as winter roads, mountain grades, night driving and heavy freeway traffic. Idaho's Alive at 25 defensive driving course, run by law enforcement for drivers aged 15 to 24, focuses on the choices that lead to young-driver crashes.

Common mistakes

• Driving at 10:30 p.m. alone at 15. The daylight limit ends at 10 p.m.
• Giving three school friends a ride in your first months as a 16-year-old.
• Driving before the license is issued. Passing the test does not grant privileges on its own.
• Assuming that being licensed means the alcohol rules relax. Under 21, the limit is .02.

Test yourself: After you pass in Idaho: restrictions and your licence

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Idaho GDL Rules and the Supervised Instruction Permit
• Idaho Permit Test
• Idaho Parent-Led Driver Training