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 may soon require 50 hours of proper instruction from the time a teenager receives their permit to when they get their license.
Bill S2789/A3793 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.
Currently, teens take Driver’s Ed during the school day and pass a written test; they also need a vision test. Next, they complete six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction from a certified driving school. They can make an appointment for their road test as early as their 17th birthday, but it must be at least six months after they pass their written test and their practice driving. After a successful road test, they’ll be issued a probationary license for one year. On their 18th birthday, they can apply for a basic license.
Under the new law, a parent, guardian or supervising driver would be required to certify that the 50 hours are completed. A driving log will be included in the brochures kids get when they start driving. The Chief Administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission would be able to suspend driving privileges of anyone who submits a fraudulent certification.
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.
New Jersey, Arkansas and Mississippi are the only states in the country that don’t require practice hours for teens.
The bill has made its way through the Senate and Assembly and is under review by Governor Phil Murphy.
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