Teenage drivers must log hours to get licenses
By From staff reports
Published in News on October 5, 2011 1:46 PM
Beginning Jan. 1 the state's teenage drivers will be required to complete two new driving logs as part of the state's graduated licensing program.
The program's goal is to increase behind-the-wheel experience for young drivers.
The driving logs will be given to new drivers by DMV driver's license examiners when they apply for Level I or Level II permits or licenses.
New drivers already holding a Level I limited learner's permit prior to Jan. 1 will not be required to fulfill the 60-hour driving log requirement. Drivers holding a Level 2 limited provisional driver license prior to Jan. 1 will not be required to complete the 12-hour log.
The first driving log requires new drivers to log 60 hours behind the wheel under the supervision of a parent or designated experienced driver, including 10 hours at night.
No more than 10 hours per week may count toward the total driving time. The teen driver must turn in the signed log to DMV when applying for a Level 2 limited provisional driver's license.
The second requires Level 2 licensed drivers to log an additional 12 hours of driving, including six hours of nighttime driving. The log must be signed and submitted to DMV upon application for a Level 3 full provisional driver's license.
North Carolina has required teen drivers to earn a driver's license under the graduated licensing program since December 1997.
The law requires new drivers to "graduate" through three steps to a full driver license, beginning with driving under a limited learner's permit for a full year.
After successfully completing Level 1 permit requirements, drivers may apply for a Level 2 limited provisional driver license, which must remain in effect for at least six months.
Both logs are posted on the DMV website: www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver/license/first/#inpagenav_0.