In Massachusetts, any driver at least 16 1/2 years old, and younger than 18, can apply for a Massachusetts Junior Operator License. This is a special program for teens that requires extra training. It places restrictions on teen drivers in order to help them through the first few years of driving without accidents or other problems.

Massachusetts Junior Operator License

The training requirements for a Massachusetts Junior Operator License include the following:

• Graduate from a state-approved driver education school with at least 30 hours of classroom instruction, six hours behind the wheel, and another six hours of observation from the back seat of the training vehicle. Upon successful completion of these requirements, the school will award a certificate of completion, which must be presented to the RMV when applying for the license.

• Complete an additional 12 hours of driving, certified on an RMV form by a parent, step-parent or guardian.

The Junior Operator License also restricts young people from driving between midnight and 5 a.m. unless parents are in the car. For the first six months, it requires a licensed driver at least 21, who has at least one year of driving experience, to sit next to the driver if the junior operator is carrying any minor passengers.

Still Not Enough?

The Massachusetts State Legislature is currently considering a bill that would make Massachusetts the toughest place in the country for teen drivers to get licensed. Right now, you have to be 16 1/2 and meet all the training requirements of the Massachusetts Junior Operator License in order to apply for a license to drive. The measure would raise the age for applying for a permit from 16 to 16 1/2, tighten requirements for driver education and raise penalties for teenagers who violate motor vehicle laws.

But following a series of high-profile accidents involving Massachusetts teens, the Legislature is considering making teens wait another year in order to demonstrate more maturity behind the wheel.

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