New NJ Law Requires Student Drivers to Practice 50 Hours!

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As reported by NJ.com, a new law in New Jersey now requires all student drivers under age 21 with learner’s permits issued on or after February 1st, 2025 to log a minimum of 50 hours of practice driving time with a supervising adult. 10 of these hours must be completed during the night-time. Prior to the passage of this law, New Jersey was one of only three states that did not require student driver practice hours.

The CDC finds that teens aged 16 to 19 are at higher risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident than any other age group, largely because these individuals are newer to driving. As a result, regular practice is incredibly important to ensure teens stay safe on the road, and (according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) has been shown to lower crash risk in the year after obtaining a driver’s license, as compared to teens who practice less frequently.

In order to certify a student driver’s hours, the supervising driver—usually a parent or other adult above the age of 21 with a valid NJ driver’s license who has been driving for three years or longer—must sign a Certification of Supervised Driving to be presented when applying for a basic driver’s license. This means that enforcement of the new law falls largely on the parents that supervise these new drivers. While it can sometimes be difficult to find time for practice sessions, between juggling school and work commitments and busy schedules, if students get their permits as soon as possible, they can have a year’s worth of time to practice. One year would mean only about one hour of practicing required each week, as per the new law.

It is also always an option to postpone the road test until students have completed their 50 hours of practice. Getting a license is incredibly exciting, but the extra hours could make a world of difference for teen drivers’ safety. With or without the state requirement, students and parents should take advantage of practice time to give us the best possible chance at reducing the teen crash risk. Practice may not make perfect, but it certainly makes us safer.