Is Your Teen Taking the Wheel?
February 1st, 2009 by Jane Schneider
So, your baby-faced teenager is finally old enough to drive, huh? RUUNNN! (Oops, our bad.) No, no, simply take a deep breath and read on as Linda Cone, district supervisor with the Driver’s License Division of the Tennessee Department of Safety, guides us through the process.
Know How Licensing Works — Car accidents are a major cause of death among teens ages 15 to 20. That’s why the state has adopted a graduated license program. By requiring more supervised driving practice, the hope is that teens will become better drivers as they work towards their regular license. There are four steps to becoming a full, unrestricted driver license holder: Learner’s Permit (age 15), Intermediate Restricted (age 16), Intermediate Unrestricted (age 17), and Regular Driver’s License (age 18).
Visit the Department of Safety Website — All the information you need is available online. Go to the tennesseeanytime.org website, click on Driver Services, then look for “Learner’s Permit and Intermediate Licenses.”
Study Up — To prepare for the driver exam, your teen will need a copy of the Tennessee Driver Study Guide, available at the license bureau or online (download the 60+ page booklet). The site also contains practice tests to help you prepare. “We have found the practice test is helpful for giving kids the variety of questions covered on the test,” says district supervisor Linda Cone.
To obtain a learner’s permit, teens must be 15, pass a vision test, and successfully answer a 30-question multiple-choice test. The information covered includes rules of the road, alcohol and drugs, traffic signs, and safe driving principles. If your teen fails the test, it can be retaken in one week.
Get the Paperwork in Order — When you and your teen arrive toapply for the Learner’s Permit and take the written test, you’ll be expected to bring the following documents. These must be original documents; photocopies are not accepted:
• Child’s birth certificate. This must be an original from the public health de
partment (and not the mother’s copy). This is to prove U.S. citizenship.
• Two proofs of Tennessee residency. These can list the parent or guardian, as
long as you have a valid Tennessee driver’s license and the teen lives with you.
• Your teen’s Social Security number.
• Minor/Teenage Affidavit/Financial Responsibility form. This indicates that the parent or legal guardian of the teen will be financially responsible for that individual, should there be an accident. The teen and parent who signs it must live in the same household.
• Proof of school attendance. This shows your teen is enrolled in a Tennessee school. Ask your school secretary (or the Board of Education office) for a Compulsory School Attendance sheet (Form SF1010). Once it’s been signed by a school official, it is only valid for 30 days. (Note: Forms signed in May are accepted through August.) Report cards or school transcripts are not acceptable substitutes.
Practice Makes Perfect — As your teen works toward his learner’s permit, he must get comfortable behind the wheel. That means you, as the parent (or another licensed adult), needs to spend time teaching him driving basics. Some public schools offer driver’s education, or you can pay companies for their teaching services (listed under Driving Instruction in the Yellow Pages).
Begin the Process — Your teen must hold a learner permit for 180 days before moving up to the Intermediate Restricted License. With a learner’s permit, your teen needs to be accompanied by a person who is at least 21 years old and has a valid license. The adult must also sit in the front seat so as to take over the wheel, if needed.
In addition, your teen will be keeping a record of the number of hours driven (this log must be signed by the accompanying adult). In order to receive an Intermediate Restricted License, your child must log 50 hours of driving time on the road (10 of those hours at night). The log can be verified by a parent, legal guardian, or certified driving instructor. Certification of your teen’s driving experience must be made on an official form provided by the Department of Safety.
Ready for the Driving Test — Once your child turns 16, he can apply for the Intermediate Restricted License and take the road test. This half-hour driving assessment, done with a tester, grades your teen’s ability to navigate in traffic, including stopping, starting, parking, making turns and lane changes, and obeying traffic signs and signals. Passing this means he can receive the restricted license, which is valid for a year. At 17, he applies for the Intermediate Unrestricted license, and at 18, qualifies for a regular license.
Tennessee’s Department of Safety
To learn more about getting your teen licensed, go to:
state.tn.us/safety/driverlicense/gdl.htm
Memphis and Shelby County Health Department
You can get a certified birth certificate through the mail or at the Health Department’s vital records office. Call 544-7605 for more information.