“The New York State legislature has amended several sections of the Vehicle and Traffic Law that affect graduated drivers,” Getman explained. “These changes took effect in late February and will affect many of the state’s teenaged drivers.”
According to Getman, the changes include:
• A junior learning permit must be held at least six months before a junior license issued.
• The number of non-family passengers under the age of twenty-one who may ride in a motor vehicle with the junior operator has been reduced from two to one.
• The number of supervised driving hours before an applicant may take the road test has increased from twenty to fifty hours, including fifteen hours after sunset.
• New provisions related to penalties for violating the graduated licensing laws have been added.
The changes to the law are contained in Chapter 403 of the laws of the 2009, Getman noted.
More information on the new law can be found here. Parents and teen drivers who have questions about how the new laws affect them are encouraged to consult with an attorney of their own choosing, Getman said.
