Teen Drivers

Getting a driver's license when you turn 16 is a long-anticipated rite of passage that most teens look forward to: Here's your ticket to fun and independence! However, as with a lot of good things in life, there's a catch. Freedom never comes without responsibility, and teen drivers carry the same responsibilities as adult drivers―but with even more of the risks.

Until you've driven for several years and encountered some sticky situations yourself (we're talking about close calls, not spilling a milkshake in the car), it's hard to imagine how serious a responsibility driving is. It's all about piling your friends into the back seat, cranking up the stereo, and heading out for some good times, right?

Well, when you're steering several tons of metal along roads filled with obstacles, signals, pedestrians, distractions, and other high-velocity chunks of steel, you need to focus more on safety at first than on fun. And when you consider that many of the drivers you're sharing the road with might be distracted themselves―adding potential dangers to your driving experience―you can see how you're going to really want to know what you're doing!

After you've completed your driver education and driver's training requirements, gotten your license, and driven for a year or two, some things will get to be habitual. It will become second nature to continuously check your mirrors, monitor your speed, be aware of vehicles around you, watch for pedestrians, obey traffic signals, heed your gas gauge, adjust the stereo, roll down your windows, change gears, signal, make turns, and chat with your passengers all at the same time (whew!).

HANDY LINKS FOR TEEN DRIVERS

• Junior Drivers/Graduated Licensing Law
• New Drivers: How to Get Your Driver License
• Driver's Manual and Study Guide
• New York's New Driver Program Brochure

While younger drivers are learning to coordinate all those activities, however, driving is more risky. Statistics show that teen drivers are more likely than any other age group to have an accident. They crash at night more often than more experienced drivers do, and the crashes are actually worse the more teenagers there are in the car.

"When you add one teen as a passenger, a teen's crash rate doubles. If you add another teen, the crash rate increases by fivefold," explained AAA spokesman Mantill Williams after a recent study of accidents involving teenage drivers.

These crashes are most often due to a combination of driver error and excessive speed that results in the car losing control and going off the road. Making things worse, teen drivers are less likely to wear seatbelts than their older counterparts, so these crashes more often have devastating results.

We're not trying to bring you down, but to illustrate the obvious: Drivers with less experience are more likely to make mistakes. In other aspects of your life you can learn from trial and error―but when it comes to driving a car, mistakes can be deadly.

Graduated Licensing Program

To give teen drivers more experience without exposing them to dangerous risks, New York―like many other states―has adopted a graduated driver licensing program for drivers under the age of 18 (called "junior drivers" in this state). Under this program, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles may issue you a junior learner's permit once you turn 16 and then a junior driver license, but there will be some restrictions on your license to allow you to more safely transition from a newbie to a pro.

Restrictions for Teenage Drivers

• You may not drive with more than two passengers who are under 21 unless a parent, guardian, or driving instructor rides with you. There is an exception if the passengers are immediate family members.

• When the law requires your driving to be supervised, only the supervising driver may ride in the front seat. The supervising driver must be at least 21 and have a valid driver license.

• All passengers riding with a junior driver must use seat belts, child safety seats, or child restraint systems.

• Your junior permit or license will be suspended for 60 days if you are convicted of committing a serious traffic violation (generally three points or more) or two other violations.

• Your junior permit or license will be revoked for 60 days if you are convicted of a serious violation (generally three points or more) or two other violations within the first six months after you receive your license or privileges back following a suspension or revocation.

• A junior license allows you to drive passenger cars and trucks with an unladen weight or a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less. You may also drive a vehicle that tows another vehicle such as a trailer with a GVWR of 3,000 pounds or less.

In addition to the above restrictions, different regions in the state of New York have different restrictions for junior permits, junior limited licenses, and junior licenses based on the time of day. For example, with a junior license you may not drive alone from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. in New York City, but you may do so upstate.

An online brochure from the DMV, New York's New Driver Program, carries more information and details about these restrictions. Note that there is an error in the table listing regional restrictions for a junior license. Under New York City, between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., "You must NOT drive" is meant to say "You must NOT drive alone."

You might feel like these restrictions cramp your style, but you won't have to live with them for long. If you completed a DMV-approved driver education program before your road test, you'll automatically be sent a senior license on your 17th birthday, and your license automatically reverts to senior status on your 18th birthday regardless.

Furthermore, the rules are working: The restrictions have reduced the number of crashes involving teenagers in New York by making sure younger drivers gain plenty of supervised experience before undertaking more dangerous driving situations.

For some real-world advice for steering clear of trouble and keeping your record spotless, check out our "Tips for New Drivers" on our Driver's Training page. Why not learn from our mistakes? After all, you want to make it to your next milestone.

How to Get Your License

Detailed information for first-time driver license applicants is available on our Applying for a New License page, but here's a summary for teenage drivers:

1. Apply for a learner's permit. You must be 16 or older, have proof of identity, and bring your Social Security card.
   • Pay the fees.
   • Pass the vision test.
   • Pass the written test based on the New York State Driver's Manual.
   • Receive your permit.
2. Practice for your road test.
3. Complete a driver education course or a DMV-approved prelicensing course.
4. Use your driver education certificate or prelicensing course certificate to make an appointment for your road test.
5. Pass your road test and receive your junior driver's license. If you take the road test within six months of receiving your learner's permit, you'll receive a limited junior license until the six months are up.

Print out the DMV's handy tip sheet, Original Driver License to keep track of all the application steps.

Also find more details on related pages on this site:

• Practice Tests

• Driver Education

• Driver's Training

• Driver Handbooks