NORTH CAROLINA (WSPA)- A bill became law addressing how long teen drivers would have to wait between their learner’s permit to a level two provisional license and drive by themselves.
The time a new driver would have to wait was changed from 12 months to six months, effective on Monday.
Drivers will still have to be at least 16 years old and have at least 60 hours of driving time in order to get their level two provisional license.
During the pandemic, the time between levels one and two went from 12 months to six months but switched back to 12 months in 2022 before the bill was passed into law.
The legislation also permits a level two driver to have an additional, non-family passenger under the age of 21 but can only be driven to and from school.
“Now that this requirement has been changed back to six months, we look forward to helping these teen drivers through this process,” said DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.
“We ask for your patience as we work to accommodate the thousands of teen drivers that are suddenly eligible to take a road test and receive their Level 2 provisional license.”
The six-month lapse between levels one and two will only last until the end of the year.
Starting January 1, 2024, the lapse will be permanently changed to nine months.
As a reminder, NCDMV schedule changes went into effect on May 1.
After noon, all customer services statewide are now provided on a walk-in basis and appointments are only available in the morning through the 11 a.m. hour and can be booked here.
Road tests, which a teen driver must successfully pass to achieve a Level 2 permit, are not available after 4 p.m.
