Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage for teens. To help teens feel safer behind the wheel, and to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities on the road, New Jersey now requires 50 hours of proper instruction from the time a teenager receives their permit to when they get their license.
The law – which goes into effect today – requires new drivers under age 21 who have their exam permit and special learner’s permit to complete at least 50 hours of practice driving. Part of the stipulations is that they must practice for 10 hours in the dark.
Starting at age 16, new drivers can start the process of obtaining their first driver’s license. After taking their written test and getting a vision test, teens will register for 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction from a certified driving school, but then be expected to complete an additional 50 hours with a supervised adult.
Under the new law, a parent, guardian or supervising driver will be required to certify that the 50 hours are completed through a driving log that will be included in the brochures kids get when they start driving. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission will be able to suspend driving privileges of anyone who submits a fraudulent certification. How will this work? The DMV will establish the certification process.
After taking their road test (on or after their 17th birthday), teens who pass it will receive their probationary driver’s license.
There were 5,565 teen fatalities due to motor vehicle crashes in 2021, an increase of 10 percent over 2020, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. The study shows that 1,065 were passengers of young drivers, and 2,384 were non-occupants or occupants of another vehicle. The highest risk is for drivers ages 16-17; the fatal crash rate per mile driven is nearly three times as high for kids 16-19 than for ages 20 and older.
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Read More:
11 Things We Wish We’d Known Before Our Teen Started Driving
New Jersey Is One of The Best States For New Teen Drivers, Study Says
