(a) Any person 16 years of age or older who, except for his or her lack of instruction in operating a motor vehicle, would otherwise be qualified to obtain a driver's license under this article may apply for a learner's license, and the Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division, may issue the license upon a form which shall be provided by the Director of Public Safety, entitling the applicant, while having the license in his or her immediate possession, to drive or operate a motor vehicle upon the highways for a period of four years, except when operating a motorcycle, the person shall be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age and actually occupying a seat beside the driver. At the time of applying for the license, the applicant shall pay to the Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division, a fee of twenty dollars ($20), and the Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division, shall give the applicant a learner's license therefor on a form to be provided by the Director of Public Safety. The temporary instruction license may be renewed only by order of the Director of Public Safety, and in no case shall the original license be renewed or extended more than once. The Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division, shall not issue the Stage I temporary instruction license until the applicant has undergone the same examination that a person applying for a Stage II or Stage III driver's license is required by law to undergo, with the exception of the driving test, and produced a certificate to that effect signed by the proper examining officer.

(b) Any person not less than 15 but under 16 years of age may obtain a Stage I learner's license to learn to operate a motor vehicle upon application to the Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division, which license shall entitle the person to operate a motor vehicle when he or she is accompanied by a parent or his or her legal guardian or a person who is age 21 or over who is duly licensed in this state as a motor vehicle operator or when accompanied by a licensed or certified driving instructor who is actually occupying a seat beside the motor vehicle operator. The application for the Stage I learner's license shall be accompanied by a payment of a fee of twenty dollars ($20), to be distributed as provided in Section 32-6-5. The age of the applicant shall be substantiated by the applicant filing with the department a certified copy of his or her birth certificate. A Stage I learner's license issued under this subsection shall be in such form as the Director of Public Safety may prescribe; it shall expire in four years; or when the holder subsequently applies for and receives a Stage II or Stage III driver's license. The Stage II or Stage III driver's license shall be issued for the remainder of the four year life of the learner's license at no additional fee, the certificate thereof shall be prima facie evidence that the license holder was 15 years of age or older on the date of its issuance. The license may be suspended or revoked in the same manner and for the same causes as a driver's license and may also be revoked for any violation of the terms and conditions on which it was issued. The Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division, shall not issue such a license to any person until the applicant has undergone the same examination that a person applying for a Stage II or Stage III driver's license is required by law to undergo, with the exception of the driving test, and has produced a certificate to that effect signed by the proper examining officer.

(c) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:

(1) STAGE I. A learner's permit.

(2) STAGE II. A regular driver's license with restrictions based on age and the date of issuance.

(3) STAGE III. An unrestricted driver's license.