New Iowa law means more 14 and 15-year-old drivers on the road

DES MOINES, Iowa — A new law went into effect this month changing the type of license that young teens can get to drive to school.

The Special Minor’s Restricted License replaces the Minor School License and adds more freedom to 14 and 15-year-olds who choose to get one.

With a SMRL teens can drive to school, extracurricular activities, and work, as long as it is within 25 miles.

To obtain an SMRL teens need to have held an Instruction Permit for six months, have taken Drivers Ed, and get signed paperwork from their school district and parents.

Kasey Lee, a Driver’s License Compliance Officer with the Iowa Department of Transportation, said that more teens than ever will be driving due to the SMRL.

“We do anticipate that there will be more students applying for a Special Minor’s Restricted License than we had seen on the Minors School License simply because there are more students that are going to be eligible with homeschool students being added. And there may be some that weren’t interested in using the just school or extracurricular purposes because the new SMRL also allows driving for employment,” Lee said.

Part of the law that allows SMRLs also increases the penalties for teen drivers who receive citations including a suspension of the license.

The Iowa State Patrol’s Sergeant Alex Dinkla has words of wisdom for new drivers with SMRLs.

“We do want to make sure that all these drivers, these young drivers do understand they’re being given this privilege to operate those motor vehicles now at a longer distance more freely than just going to school and so make sure that they’re obeying those laws. Don’t abuse this privilege to be able to drive, because if you do get a citation that’s going to result in you losing your license for an extended period of time,” Sgt. Dinkla said.

To learn more about SMRLs visit the Iowa DOT’s website .

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