Hardship License Requirements
If you need to drive each day to work or school but are younger than 16, you may qualify for a hardship license. Several states provide these licenses to drivers under the legal driving age, usually because there is no other way for these young drivers to either get to school or work. The states that do offer these licenses have varying rules and requirements. It's best to check with your local department of motor vehicles to determine not only if your state offers hardship licenses, but what requirements you have to meet to get one.
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Iowa
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Iowa provides a good example of how hardship licenses usually work. Here, minors not yet old enough for a full driver's license can apply for a school license if they need to drive unaccompanied by an adult to and from school. In most cases, minors must already have their learner's permit, usually for six months.
Michigan
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A good portion of Michigan's state economy is still dependent on farming. It's no surprise, then, that the state offers a minor restricted license to minors who are at least 14 if their families are suffering a severe financial hardship related to their family farms. These minors can obtain their restricted driver's license if they have no other means of transportation to get to and from school.
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Nebraska, Tennessee and Wyoming
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Several states that are abundant in rural areas often offer restricted licenses to minors who live far from their schools and need some form of transportation. Nebraska is one of these states. Tennessee offers a similar restricted license, but minors possessing it are only allowed to travel 25 miles on it one way. Wyoming, too, offers a version of this kind of license, but minors can only use it to travel five miles one way. Minors can drive this distance to get either to school or work.
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References
- Photo Credit car image by Einar Bog from Fotolia.com
