How licensing works in Idaho
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) sets licensing rules. Idaho lets teens start driving young, but with training and limits.
| Stage | Minimum age | Main rules |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised Instruction Permit (SIP) | 14½ | Enroll in driver training. Drive only with a licensed driver 21 or older in the front seat. Hold at least 6 months violation-free and log 50 hours (10 at night). |
| Restricted Class D license | 15 | Under 16: drive alone only 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. First 6 months: no more than one passenger under 17 unless related. |
| Full privileges | 16 and older | Daylight limit ends at 16. Passenger limit ends after 6 months licensed or at 17. |
New drivers are most likely to crash in their first months of driving alone, and night driving and carrying friends make that risk higher. Graduated licensing rules give you time to build skill in safer conditions, so you gain experience before the limits come off.
Driver training
Anyone under 17 who applies for a license must finish driver training: 30 hours of classroom, 6 hours of observation and 6 hours behind the wheel.
Teen limits
- Under 16, you may drive alone only from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., unless a licensed driver 21 or older sits in the front seat.
- For the first 6 months with a license, a driver under 17 may carry only one passenger under 17, unless the others are related by blood, adoption or marriage.
The Idaho knowledge test
The knowledge test has 40 questions. You may miss up to six, so you need at least 34 right (85%).
- Languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Swahili, Vietnamese and American Sign Language.
- If you fail, wait three days and pay the fee again.
- Questions come from the Idaho Driver's Handbook.
Rules specific to Idaho
Speed limits
| Where | Limit unless posted |
|---|---|
| Residential, business or urban districts | 35 mph |
| State highways | 65 mph (70 where posted) |
| Interstates | 75 mph (80 where posted) |
Idaho's basic rule says you must always drive at a reasonable and prudent speed. Driving so slowly that you block traffic is also a violation. Do not stay in the far left lane if you are holding up traffic.
School buses
Stop when a school bus has flashing red lights or its stop arm out, and stay stopped until children are clear. On highways with four or more lanes, traffic going the opposite way does not have to stop.
On a road with two or more lanes each way, oncoming traffic may continue with care.
- The stopped school bus.
- Traffic behind the bus must stop.
- Oncoming traffic on a four-lane road may continue carefully.
Seat belts and child seats
Every occupant must wear a seat belt when the vehicle has factory-installed belts. Children 6 or younger must ride in an approved car safety seat. Children under 13 are safest in the back seat.
Headlights
Use headlamps from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is poor. Dim your high beams within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 200 feet of a vehicle you are following.
Switch to low beams when another vehicle comes toward you.
- Your car with high beams.
- The oncoming car.
- Dim at 500 feet.
Key numbers to remember
Many test questions ask for an exact age, time or number. Use this table as a quick review before you practice.
| Rule | Number |
|---|---|
| Supervised Instruction Permit age | 14½ |
| Restricted license age | 15 |
| Knowledge test | 40 questions, miss no more than 6 |
| Retest wait | 3 days |
| Practice hours | 50, including 10 at night |
| Under-16 driving hours | 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Residential and urban speed | 35 mph |
| Interstate speed | 75 mph (80 where posted) |
Test tips
- Read the Idaho Driver's Handbook all the way through.
- Learn the Idaho numbers: 14½, 15, 21, 50 and 10 hours, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., 35/65/75 mph.
- Practice until you score 37 or more out of 40.
- Study road signs until you know each one by shape and color.
On test day
Give yourself plenty of time on the day of your test. Get a good night's sleep, eat something before you go, and arrive early so you do not feel rushed.
- Bring every document on the official checklist, plus your glasses or contact lenses if you need them to see.
- Turn off your phone and put it away before the test starts.
- Read each question all the way through, then read every answer before you choose.
- If you are not sure, first rule out the answers you know are wrong.
- Change an answer only if you are sure you misread the question.
If you do not pass, do not give up. Look at the topics you missed, study those parts of the handbook again, and take more practice tests before you try again.
Keep studying
This guide covers rules that are special to Idaho. The general rules of the road, such as right-of-way, turns, lane markings, parking, alcohol and sharing the road, are in the national US driving study guide. Study both before your test.