Note: Significant changes to the NYS Graduated License Law take effect on February 22, 2010. Hear DMV Commissioner David J. Swarts talk about the new laws, and read about the changes.

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Transcript

Hello. I'm David Swarts, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.

I wanted to speak with you today about an important new law that takes effect on February 22 and why it is important.

The intent of this new law, called the Graduated Driving Law, is to help prepare our young drivers for the life-long responsibility of driving.

The rationale behind these changes is very simple. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for teens. The crash fatality rate is highest for 16- to 17-year-olds within the first six months of getting their license. These changes strengthen the current law and address the main causes of teen driver crashes-distractions and inexperience.

The new law now requires that a Junior Permit be held for 6 months before a road test can be taken. This will give younger drivers the time they so desperately need to acquire experience on the road. The law also increases the required supervised driving time from 20 hours to 50 hours, with 15 of those hours being after sunset. Again, this will allow for more experience at different times and under various conditions.

The law eliminates the Limited Use Junior License and reduces from 2 to 1 the number of non-family passengers under age 21 that are allowed in the vehicle. This will cut back on potentially dangerous distractions that could prove to be deadly.

The Graduated Driver Licensing law, like the name suggests, is designed to gradually introduce young drivers to the skills associated with operating a motor vehicle in a conscientious and safe manner.

For more information on this law, or on other DMV initiatives to increase the safety of our highways, we invite you to visit the various pages of the DMV Web site including the Office of the Younger Driver.

Thank you and safe driving.