Section 186.410 - Operators' license - Requirements and issuance - Personal identification cards, validity - Driver training programs - Application for travel ID or standard document - Owner of motor vehicle considered operator when fully autonomous vehicle system engaged(1) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, every person not exempted by KRS 186.420 and 186.430 shall, before operating a motor vehicle, motorcycle, or moped upon a highway, secure an operator's license as provided in this chapter.(2) Except as provided in KRS 186.4121, all original, renewal, and duplicate personal identification cards and licenses for the operation of motor vehicles or motorcycles shall be applied for with the Transportation Cabinet, or through alternative technology, and issued by the Transportation Cabinet. Subject to the provisions of KRS 186.4101, applications for renewal licenses and personal identification cards shall be made every eight (8) years within the birth month of the applicant. A license shall not be issued until the application has been certified by the cabinet and the applicant has, if required under KRS 186.635, successfully completed the examinations required under KRS 186.480.(3) All personal identification cards shall be issued under the provisions of KRS 186.4102, 186.4122, and 186.4123.(4) A person under the age of eighteen (18) years who applies for an instruction permit shall, at any time between the age of sixteen (16) and before the person's eighteenth birthday, enroll in one (1) of the following driver training programs: (a) A driver's education course administered by a school district;(b) A driver training school licensed pursuant to KRS Chapter 332 which offers a course meeting or exceeding the minimum standards established by the Transportation Cabinet; or(c) State traffic school. The person may seek to enroll in state traffic school before the person's eighteenth birthday. Persons enrolling in state traffic school pursuant to this paragraph shall not be required to pay a fee.(5) Any applicant for any initial or renewal instruction permit, operator's license, or personal identification card under KRS 186.400 to 186.640 may apply for either: (a) A voluntary travel ID document; or(b) A standard document that does not meet standards for federal identification purposes.(6) When an automated driving system as defined in KRS 186.760 is installed on a motor vehicle and is engaged, and the motor vehicle is operating as a fully autonomous vehicle as defined in KRS 186.760, the:(a) Owner of the motor vehicle is considered the operator of the fully autonomous vehicle and shall comply with applicable traffic or motor vehicle laws, regardless of whether the owner is physically present in the vehicle while the vehicle is operating; and(b) Automated driving system is considered to be licensed to operate the vehicle and a licensed human operator is not required to operate the motor vehicle.Amended by 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 176,§ 9, eff. 7/15/2024.Amended by 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 123,§ 16, eff. 7/15/2024.Amended by 2020 Ky. Acts ch. 51,§ 2, eff. 3/27/2020.Amended by 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 100,§ 1, eff. 1/1/2019.Effective:7/12/2006
Amended 2006, Ky. Acts ch. 173, sec. 29, effective7/12/2006. -- Amended 2002, Ky. Acts ch. 264, sec. 3, effective 7/15/2002. -- Amended 2000, Ky. Acts ch. 535, sec. 2, effective 7/14/2000. -- Amended 1996, Ky. Acts ch. 198, sec. 3, effective 10/1/1996. -- Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 267, sec. 3, effective 7/15/1994. -- Amended 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 389, sec. 1, effective 7/15/1982. --Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 349, sec. 3, effective 6/17/1978; and ch. 434, sec. 1, effective 6/17/1978. -- Amended 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 74, Art. IV, sec. 20(7). --Amended 1958 Ky. Acts ch. 60, sec. 1. -- Amended 1948 Ky. Acts ch. 208, secs. 1, 2, and 3. -- Amended 1946 Ky. Acts ch. 127, sec. 1. -- Amended 1944 Ky. Acts ch. 79, sec. 1. -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective 10/1/1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 2739m-34.