Legal Operation of your Vehicle

New York’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Law

STAGE 1 – Junior Learner Permit:

A teen must be 16 years of age or older to apply for a junior learner permit and must hold the permit for at least 6 months. During this time, the teen must log at least 50 hours of driving practice with at least 15 hours after sunset.

With a Junior Learner permit:

• The teen may only drive with a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., and only drive with a parent or guardian or driver education instructor between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

• The teen may only drive with no more than 1 non-related passenger under age 21.

STAGE 2 – Junior License (Intermediate License):

To obtain a junior license, a teen must have held a junior learner permit for at least 6 months. With a junior license, a teen has different restrictions depending on where he or she drives in the state.

STAGE 3 – Senior License (Full License):

The New York Department of Motor Vehicles will automatically issue a senior license at age 18 to teens who have successfully completed the junior learner permit stage. A senior license may be issued at age 17 to a teen with a junior license who has completed a state-approved high school or college driver education course.

VIDEO: SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES

HOW to WEAR a SEAT BELT PROPERLY

• Seat belts offer the most protection when sitting upright.

• The lap belt should be tight but comfortable across the hips.

• The shoulder harness should come over the collar bone and rest snugly across the chest and shoulder without touching the throat.

• The shoulder harness should never be placed behind the back or under the arm; this can cause internal injuries in a crash.

WHY WEAR SEAT BELTS?

• They absorb the force of impact in a traffic crash and reduce the risk of being killed or injured. 20 lbs. x 40 mph = 800 lbs. of force!

• They hold you securely to help prevent you from striking hard objects inside the vehicle. You are less likely to be thrown (ejected) through the windshield or doors. Vehicle ejection usually results in death!

• They keep you in place to control the vehicle and keep you in position behind the wheel and near the brake pedal.

• They increase the chance of survival reducing the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passengers. Unbelted rear-seat occupants and objects, become high-speed projectiles striking people in the front seat.

VIDEO: NEVER FORGET TO "CLICK"

There are 3 Collisions In a Crash:

#1 The Vehicle Crash:

At the moment of impact, unbelted occupants are still traveling at the original speed of the vehicle.

#2 The Human Crash:

Just after the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the occupants will slam into each other, the steering wheel, windshield, dashboard, seat or other interior surfaces, or objects. In a crash, occupants move toward the point of impact, not away from it.

#3 Internal Crashes:

The body stops but internal organs are still moving forward. These organs slam into other organs or the skeletal system. Without safety belts on our chances of survival in a crash are slim!

VIDEO: 3 COLLISIONS

NEW YORK STATE SEAT BELT LAWS

Junior License Holders (Intermediate Stage GDL):

For vehicles driven by persons with a Class-DJ learner permit or a Class-DJ or Limited Class DJ driver license, every occupant, no matter the age or seating position, must correctly use a safety restraint.

Senior License Holders (Full License): (18 years or 17 years and have taken Driver Education):

1. In the front seat, the driver and each passenger must wear a seat belt, one person per belt. The driver and front-seat passengers 16 or older can each face a fine of up to $50 if they fail to buckle up.

2. The driver must make sure that each passenger under 16 obeys the law. The driver can face a fine of $25 to $100 and receive three penalty points on his driver license for each violation.

3. Every passenger under 16 must use a safety restraint. If less than age 4, persons must be correctly secured in a government approved child safety seat that is attached to a vehicle by a safety belt or universal anchorage (LATCH) system.

Air Bags:

• Are meant to work with seat belts, not to replace them. The combination of a seat belt and an air bag offers maximum protection;

- they help the driver maintain control of the vehicle.

- they help prevent secondary collisions.

• The pressure of an air bag as it opens could injure those who sit too close to it. You should sit with at least 10 inches between the center of your chest and the cover of the air bag.

• Place your hands on the opposite sides of the steering wheel at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions to keep them away if the air bag engages.

• Children under the age of 12 should sit in the rear seat of the vehicle.

Avoiding a Head-on Collision

This is the most fatal type of crash; here is a method you can use to avoid it:

• Read: scan the roadway and read the traffic situation, recognize hazards presented by other drivers and recognize the shape and surface of the road.

• Right: drive slightly to the right of center of your lane to provide an extra cushion of space between you and oncoming vehicles in case those drivers should swerve into your lane.

• Reduce: slow down!

  • Ride off the road: ride into the shoulder of the road if necessary.

VIDEO: and REMEMBER, NEVER TEXT and DRIVE!