Restricted license at 16 and the unrestricted license

Key points

1. At 16 you need 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night, for the restricted license.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “16-year-old applicants must have completed 50 hours of supervised driving with 10 at night”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 12

2. A 16 year old with a restricted license may drive for any purpose from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Driving Restrictions 16-Year-Old May drive at any time: • From 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 13

3. At other hours a restricted driver may drive to and from school and authorized school activities, and directly to and from religious activities.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “To/From school and authorized school activities • Directly to/From any religious activity held by a religious organization.”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 13

4. Only 1 non-sibling minor passenger is allowed in the vehicle.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Only one, non-sibling, minor passenger allowed in the vehicle”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 13

5. Restricted drivers may not use wireless devices while driving, except to report illegal activity or summon emergency help.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “NO wireless communication devices while driving except to report illegal activity or summon emergency help”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 12

6. Drivers under 17 must have held a learner's permit for 1 year or more before the license is issued.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “Those under age 17 must have held state issued Learner's Permit for 1 year or more prior to license issuance”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 12

7. After age 16, once the restricted license has been held for 6 months, all age related restrictions are removed.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “After age 16 and Restricted License has been held for 6 months then all age-related driving restrictions are removed.”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 13

8. The unrestricted license starts at 17 and requires passing the vision, written and driving tests.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Minimum age 17 • Must pass the vision, written and driving examinations”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 13

9. Applicants under 18 need a parent or guardian affidavit for at least 50 hours of driving, 10 of them at night.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Parent/Guardian must sign affidavit attesting to at least 50 hours of driving time with at least 10 at night (only for applicants who are less than 18 years old)”
   Kansas Driving Handbook, Handbook p. 13

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Kansas practice test

1. 1. During what hours may a 16-year-old drive under the Kansas less-restricted rules?

   1. 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
   2. 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
   3. 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
   4. Any hour without conditions
   Show answer

   5 a.m. to 9 p.m.. The less-restricted 16-year-old rules list driving from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. as a permitted time window. The later windows shift both boundaries and therefore do not reproduce the handbook's schedule. Unrestricted, all-hour driving is also inaccurate because the passage lists additional permitted purposes and supervision conditions. Remember the pair as five in the morning through nine at night. School, religious, employment, and licensed-adult trips are separately named situations, but they do not change the stated general time window.

2. 2. How many non-sibling minor passengers may a 16-year-old carry under the listed Kansas restrictions?

   1. None under any circumstance
   2. Four
   3. Two
   4. One
   Show answer

   One. The 16-year-old restrictions allow only one non-sibling minor passenger. Zero is too strict because the handbook expressly permits one, while two and four exceed the stated limit. The word non-sibling matters, since the restriction is not a blanket count of every person in the vehicle. Compare this stage with the 15-year-old rule, which prohibits non-sibling minor passengers altogether. The quick recall cue is a single unrelated minor passenger, alongside the separate hours and approved-purpose conditions.

3. 3. After a Kansas restricted license has been held for six months after age 16, what happens to age-related driving restrictions?

   1. They change only after a second road test
   2. They automatically double
   3. They continue until age 21
   4. They are removed
   Show answer

   They are removed. The handbook states that after age 16 and six months holding a restricted license, all age-related driving restrictions are removed. The alternatives invent a longer age endpoint, an increase in restrictions, or an extra testing requirement that the passage does not mention. This rule concerns age-related limits, so it should not be read as cancelling unrelated licensing duties or traffic laws. A useful timeline cue is 16 years of age plus six months on the restricted license, followed by removal of the age-based restrictions.

Source: the Kansas Driving Handbook, Section 1: The Driver's License. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.