Young Drivers

Junior Drivers / Graduated Licensing Law
You must be age 16 or over to drive in NYS. If you have a learner permit or a driver license from another state, you are not exempt from this rule. Drivers under the age of 18 must obey the restrictions described in the DMV brochure, Learner Permits and Junior Licenses.  An out-of-state driver under the age of 18 must also obey all restrictions of the state that issued the driver license.

Graduated Licensing Law:  A new graduated licensing law begins in NYS on September 1, 2003. The law affects how drivers under the age of 18 ("junior drivers") receive senior driving privileges and changes the restrictions on junior drivers. Junior drivers are drivers who have a driver license or a learner permit of Class DJ or Class MJ.

On September 1, 2003, these new rules began for all junior drivers:

• A junior driver cannot operate a vehicle that has more than two passengers who are under the age of 21 unless a parent, a guardian, or a driving instructor also rides in the vehicle. There is an exception to this rule if the passengers are Immediatee family members.
  
• When the law requires supervision of the junior driver, only the supervising driver can ride in the front seat.
• The supervising driver must be 21 years of age or older and must have a valid driver license.
  
• All passengers that ride with a junior driver must use the correct safety restraints (seat belts, child safety seats, or child restraint systems).
  

These new rules apply to junior drivers who have learner permits that were issued on or after September 1, 2003:

• A driver with a Class DJ or Class MJ learner permit must bring to the road test a completed form MV-262 (Certification of 20 Hours of Supervised Driving).  The form certifies that the junior driver had a minimum of 20 hours of supervised driving experience. The supervising driver must be a driver qualified by the law to supervise a junior driver. A parent or a legal guardian of the junior driver must sign form MV-262.
  
• The DMV will issue a limited-use junior license to a junior driver who passes a road test during the first six months after the learner permit was issued. A limited-use junior license allows the junior driver to drive without supervision during specific hours of the day and within specific geographical boundaries. A supervising driver must supervise the junior driver at all other times. Six months after the learner permit of that driver was issued, the DMV will issue a normal junior license to replace the limited-use junior license.
  
• When a junior driver passes a road test more than six months after the learner permit was issued, the DMV issues a normal junior license.
  
• An additional change in the law began on September 1, 2003 and affects all drivers with a learner permit. The change in the law requires that a supervising driver must be 21 years of age or older.

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