• Teenagers age 15 to 18 can acquire an Illinois learner's permitluxury silver sport vehicle suv car on road isolated 4x4 image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
  
  New teen driving laws passed in 2008 require Illinois teenagers to acquire a learner's permit for nine months before applying for a driver's license. The new rules include updated safety regulations, a 50-hour supervised drive time requirement and what happens to a student driver after receiving a moving violation while driving with a learner's permit.
  
  

Age requirement

• You must be at least 15 years of age to obtain a learner's permit in the state of Illinois. If you are under age 18, you'll need to acquire a permit before you're allowed to apply for a full driver's license.
  
  

Parental consent

• All drivers under 18 must obtain parental consent before a driver's permit may be obtained.
  
  

Driver's education course

• You must be enrolled in a DMV-approved driver's education course to obtain an Illinois driver's permit.
  
  

Examinations

• You'll need to pass a vision test and a written examination at your local DMV to obtain a permit. The written examination will test your knowledge of the rules of the road, street signs and facts about safe driving. Your driver's education course will teach you what you need to know for the written examination.
  
  

Permit length

• A learner's permit is valid for up to two years, but you're eligible to obtain a driver's license after holding the permit for only nine months, provided that you are at least age 16 at that time. During the time that you hold the permit you must accrue 50 hours of adult-supervised driving practice, including a minimum of 10 hours of night driving.
  
  

Safety rules

• While you are driving with a learner's permit you must always be supervised by an adult aged 21 or older who has a valid driver's license. You may only have one passenger in the front seat and as many passengers as there are seat belts in the rear of the car. Any passengers who are under age 19 are required to wear a seat belt. You can't use a cell phone while driving, except in case of emergency.
  
  

Moving violations

• You must not be convicted of any moving violations while you are driving with a learner's permit. If you are convicted of a moving violation then you will have to wait an additional nine months before you will be eligible to acquire a driver's license. If your moving violation is considered a serious driving offense, then you will placed under court supervision, required to appear in court with your legal guardian and required to attend traffic safety school.
  
  

Driving without a permit

• If a law enforcement agent catches you driving without a permit, then you will be declared ineligible to obtain a driver's license until you reach the age of 18. You will also have to pay any fines and accept all penalties associated with your moving violation and with unlicensed driving.