Over the years, the process for obtaining a driver’s license has drastically changed. We went from taking driver’s training class through the school with classroom time, hands-on training in a parking lot, and training hours on the road before there was a permit issued to drive with your parents until the full license at 16 years of age, to a very lengthy process before a teen is able to be out on their own with a full Michigan license. I remember when my best friend got her license for that first summer; there were five to six teenage girls all under the age 16 in her car most of the time everywhere we went. Now the law prohibits things like that, and the requirements for obtaining a license under the age of 18 has many additional steps.

Now Michigan’s Driver Education curriculum is required for all teen drivers under age 18 and is now split into two segments.

Segment 1 driver education is offered before the driver begins supervised driving. It requires a minimum of 24 hours of classroom instruction, a minimum of six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, and a minimum of four hours of observation time in a training vehicle. Before beginning Segment 1, a teen must be 14 years, 8 months of age and have parent/guardian permission.

Segment 2 driver education is offered after the driver has held a valid Level 1 License for at least three continuous months and has acquired 30 hours of driving experience time including a minimum of two hours of night driving. Segment 2 includes a minimum of six hours of classroom instruction.

Once the teen has completed Segment 1 and 2, they are then eligible for the Graduate Driver License (GDL.) The GDL is divided into three levels. Level 1 is a Learner’s License. For a Level 1 License, the teen must be at least 14 years nine months, have completed Segment 1, and have parent approval.

Level 2 is an Intermediate License. Level 2 requires the teen to have a Level 1 license for at least six months, be at least 16 years old, have successfully completed Segment 2, pass a Driving Skills Test, and have no accidents, or tickets for a 90-day period prior to applying for a Level 2 license, along with a parent’s signature certifying the teen completed the 50 hours behind-the-wheel driving.

Level 3 is a Full License. For the Full License, the teen must be 17 years old, have had a Level 2 license for at least six months, and completed 12 consecutive months without a moving violation, a crash in which a moving violation resulted, a crash, a license suspension, or a violation of the graduated license restrictions.

With the GDL, there are many additional restrictions that come along with the license. Under a Level 1 License, teens may only drive with a licensed parent/guardian or designated licensed adult age 21 or older. Under a Level 2 license teens, are prohibited from using a cell phone while driving, are not able to operate a vehicle between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. except for work, an authorized activity, or with a licensed adult over 21 years of age, and are not able to have more than one passenger in the vehicle who is younger than 21 years of age with the exceptions of family, a co-worker, attending an authorized activity, or with a parent. Under the Level 3 or full license, there are no state-imposed restrictions.

As I stated at the beginning there are many changes, but another is if the teen driver receives any tickets, maybe a speeding ticket, or for an accident, the time they spend in that level of the GDL will be extended. It is kind of like a probation period for the teen, as they have to have so many months without a violation before they can move on to the next level.

For more information on this there are great resources at www.michigan.gov/teen driver.

Ashley Simpson is a Community Service Trooper for the MSP Alpena Post. If you have a question for Trooper Simpson, you can email her at asktroopersimpson@gmail.com or mail them to Ask A Trooper, Michigan State Police – Alpena Post, 3283 W. Washington Ave, Alpena, MI 49707.