Obtaining the honor and privilege of driving is a major milestone in the life of a teenager. Arizona has taken aggressive steps to ensure our teenage youth are prepared for the responsibility of driving.
Jonathan Negretti, Attorney at Law at Negretti & Associates, explains Arizona’s laws that affect teen drivers and their parents or guardians.
Learner’s Permit
The first step to becoming a prepared teen driver is receiving a learner’s permit. Teens are eligible for a learner’s permit at 15 years and 6 months.
Other requirements include:
- Parent or guardian co-signer – A parent or legal guardian must co-sign on the license making the parent or guardian liable for any willful misconduct or negligence caused by the teen driver.
- MVD Driver Course – the teen must complete a driver’s education course offered by the MVD.
- Accompanied by a licensed driver – with a learner’s permit, a licensed driver, 21 years or older, must be seated next to the driver.
- Expiration – these permits are only valid for 12 months from date issued.
Graduated License (Class G License)
Once the teen driver has held a learner’s permit for a minimum of six months, he or she is now eligible to receive a Graduated License, also known as a Class G License.
In addition to holding a learner’s permit for a minimum of six months, the additional requirements include:
- Age: The teen must be at least 16 years of age.
- Driving experience: The teen must have a minimum 20 hours of daytime, supervised driving experience; a minimum 10 hours of nighttime, supervised driving experience for a total of 30 hours of supervised driving experience.
- Time restrictions: For the first six months, the teen driver cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m., unless one of these requirements are met:
- A parent or guardian accompanies the teen driver
- The reason for driving is for a work, school activity, religious activity or family emergency
- Passenger restrictions: For the first six months the driver cannot have more than one passenger in the vehicle. The exception to this rule is if parents or siblings are in the vehicle.
To learn more about the requirements for Arizona teen drivers licenses, visit Arizona Department of Transportation’s website.
If you or your teen driver has experienced an accident or injury while operating a vehicle with a Learner’s Permit or Class G license or is the victim of a motor vehicle accident by a teen driver, contact Negretti & Associates to understand and protect your rights.
For more information on Arizona teen driving laws, call us at 602-531-3911.