florida drivers guide for teens and parents
TRANSCRIPT
Florida Drivers Guide For Teens and Parents
Courtesy Attention Responsibility
Experience
Spring 2007
Did You Know? Traffic crashes are the number one killer of teenagers (ages 13-19). Two out of every three teenagers killed in motor vehi-cle crashes in 2004 were males. (U.S. Department of Trans-portation). Drivers can receive a citation for each passenger less than 18 years of age not properly buckled up. Florida law prohibits television screens from being visible from the driver’s seat. Headphones and headsets may not be worn while driving. Drivers are required to have their driver license in their imme-diate possession at all times while driving a motor vehicle, and to display it upon demand of a law enforcement officer. Alcohol continues to kill more adolescents than all illegal drugs combined. 673 people were killed on Florida roadways in 2005 from alcohol-related crashes (DHSMV). 47,167 people were convicted of DUI in 2005 in the state of Florida (DHSMV). 4,363 people were injured on Florida roadways in 2005 from alcohol-related crashes (DHSMV). A DUI conviction stays on a criminal history record for life and on a driving record for 75 years.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page(s)
Letter to Parents 2 Letter to Teens 3 Graduated Driver Licensing Program 4-5 Driving is a Privilege – Don’t Lose It 6-7 Skills Mastery Checklist 8-10 Driving Log Instructions 11 Driving Logs 12-23 Certification of Driving Experience 24
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Your teen has finally arrived at a time he or she has been looking forward to - learning to drive! This will be a memorable experience for both of you. As their role model and coach, they will watch what you do and look to you for your guidance and expertise. The law requires you to certify that your teen has spent a minimum of 50 hours behind the wheel when he or she applies for an operator’s license. Ten of those hours must be at night. Either you or another responsible licensed adult over 21 years of age must always occupy the front passenger seat closest to the driver. This booklet contains several tools to assist you with that most important responsibility. There’s a skills mastery checklist, a driving log, and a driving certifi-cation form. I encourage you and your teen to thoroughly review Chapter 3 of The Florida Driver’s Handbook as it contains valuable detailed information on the driving skills. There are also a number of websites with additional information printed on the back cover. Visit these sites together. Several of them have excellent simulations that will encourage discussion. Take as long as necessary to ensure that your teen is ready to take the driving test and prepared to navigate the roads solo. Teach them to “Drive With Care – Courtesy, Attention, Responsibility and Ex-perience.” Remember, “Experience eliminates er-rors!” A stamped postcard is included with this booklet. Please do me a favor and, after a few months, mail it back with your comments. Good Luck! SANDRA C. LAMBERT, Director Division of Driver Licenses
2
3
Dear Florida Teen: Congratulations on earning your Learner’s License! Driving is a privilege. I urge you to “Drive with Care – Courtesy, Attention, Responsibility and Experience.” This booklet contains valuable tools to assist you in mastering critical driving skills. Be sure to practice all the skills on the Skills Mastery Checklist. Please pay close attention to the driving restrictions and requirements for obtaining your operator’s license. A driving log is provided for recording your supervised driving. Under Florida law, you must have at least 50 hours of behind the wheel driving experience. Ten of those hours must be at night. Be sure to visit our website for more driving and licensing information - http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/teendriv.html. Sincerely, SANDRA C. LAMBERT, Director Division of Driver Licenses
Graduated Driver Licensing System On July 1, 1996, Florida established the Graduated Licensing System. The program gives young drivers more time to learn all the complex skills needed to drive a vehi-cle. The program consists of three stages beginning with the Learner’s License. Young drivers are required to dem-onstrate responsible driving behaviors in each stage of licensing before advancing to the next. Learner’s License Privileges and Requirements • Drivers must always have a licensed driver 21 years of age or older in the closest seat to the right of the driver. • For the first three months after receiving a Learner’s License, driving is limited to daylight hours only. • After three months, hours are extended to 10 pm. From Learner’s License to Operator’s License To earn an Operator’s License, teens must be at least 16 years old AND have held a learner’s license for at least one year without any traffic convictions. Required documents • A Florida Learner’s License or a license from another
jurisdiction. • Parent or guardian certification that applicant has at
least 50 hours of behind the wheel driving experience, of which 10 hours must be at night.
Testing Applicants must pass a driving test and perform certain driving maneuvers, or present a waiver from an accepted driver education course. They must also pass a hearing test and a vision test indicating 20/40 (or better) vision in each and both eyes, with or without corrective lenses.
4
Please refer to the Florida Driver Handbook for specifics
5
Privileges and Responsibilities Once teens obtain an Operator’s License their driving privileges are based on their age. 16 years old • Driving allowed between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. • All other times must be accompanied by a licensed
driver at least 21 years old occupying the closest seat to the right of the driver, or be traveling to or from work.
17 years old • Driving allowed between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. • All other times must be accompanied by a licensed
driver at least 21 years old occupying the closest seat to the right of the driver, or be traveling to or from work.
18 years old • Driving allowed at all hours of the day without a licensed passenger requirement.
6
Driving is a Privilege - Don't Lose It Driving privileges can be restricted or taken away from teens for a number of reasons including: Traffic conviction while on a Learner’s License Driver cannot apply for an Operator’s license for one year from the conviction date or until turning 18 years old, whichever happens first. 6 points on driving record within a 12-month pe-
riod Driving limited to “business purposes only” for 12 months or until driver turns 18 years old, whichever happens first. The restriction is extended 90 days for each additional point during the restriction period. Blood alcohol level of .02% or more Licenses of drivers under 21 years old administra-tively suspended for six months. A second offense results in a one-year suspension. The first offense for refusing to submit to testing results in a suspension of twelve months; a second offense results in an 18-month administrative suspension. School truancy License suspended until student provides proof of school attendance for 30 consecutive days. Tobacco products possession conviction Licenses of drivers under 18 years old are revoked from six months to one year.
Driving is a Privilege - Don't Lose It This chart shows the number of points assessed to a driver’s record when convicted of a traffic offense.
Driving Violation Points Speeding Less than 15 mph over the speed limit 3 More than 15 mph over the speed limit 4 Speeding resulting in a crash 6 Moving Violations Driving during restricted hours 3 Moving violation 3 Moving violation resulting in a crash 4 Reckless driving 4 Improper lane change 3
7
Skills
Mas
tery
Che
cklis
t
Use t
his ch
art to
evalu
ate yo
ur te
en’s
critic
al ge
nera
l driv
ing sk
ills. T
his is
not m
eant
to be
an ex
haus
tive l
ist of
all d
riving
ma
neuv
ers.
Add
addit
ional
skills
foun
d in y
our d
riving
such
as ro
unda
bouts
and d
raw
bridg
es.
Mast
ered
Ne
eds
Prac
tice
Skill
Star
ting
the c
ar –
buck
les se
at be
lt, ch
ecks
mirr
ors,
starts
smoo
thly,
remo
ves p
arkin
g br
ake (
if app
licab
le). N
OTES
:
Post
ure –
drive
r at le
ast 1
0 inc
hes f
rom
steer
ing w
heel
and a
ble to
easil
y see
out w
ind-
shiel
d, sit
s up w
ith kn
ees a
nd el
bows
sligh
tly be
nt, bo
th ha
nds o
n the
stee
ring w
heel.
NO
TES:
Forw
ard
mov
emen
t – u
ses s
ignal
befor
e pull
ing ou
t into
traffic
, smo
oth ac
celer
ation
, co
nsist
ent s
peed
, stay
s with
in lan
e, ma
intain
s pro
per d
istan
ce. N
OTES
:
8
Skills
Mas
tery
Che
cklis
t
Mast
ered
Ne
eds
Prac
tice
Skill
Traf
fic lig
hts –
Obs
erve
s ligh
t, slow
s dow
n and
stop
s smo
othly
behin
d line
whe
n ligh
t is re
d,
stops
befor
e tur
ning r
ight o
n red
, star
ts pr
omptl
y on g
reen
. NOT
ES:
St
op si
gns –
Obs
erve
s sign
in ad
vanc
e, slo
ws do
wn sm
oothl
y, co
mes t
o a co
mplet
e stop
, ch
ecks
traff
ic in
all di
recti
ons b
efore
proc
eedin
g. P
roce
eds t
hrou
gh 4-
way s
top in
terse
ction
at
prop
er tim
e. N
OTES
:
Yield
sign
s and
caut
ion
light
s – O
bser
ves s
igns a
nd si
gnals
, che
cks t
raffic
flow,
adjus
ts sp
eed t
o allo
w tho
se w
ith rig
ht of
way t
o pro
ceed
. NOT
ES:
Lane
chan
ges –
Sign
als ch
ange
s in a
dvan
ce, c
heck
s mirr
ors b
efore
mak
ing ch
ange
, ch
ange
s only
whe
re hi
ghwa
y mar
kings
indic
ate su
ch ch
ange
is pe
rmiss
ible,
allow
s ade
quate
sp
ace w
ithou
t hav
ing to
quick
ly ac
celer
ate. N
OTES
:
9
Skills
Mas
tery
Che
cklis
t
Mast
ered
Ne
eds
Prac
tice
Skill
Use o
f tur
n lan
es –
Sign
als la
ne ch
ange
, che
cks b
efore
chan
ging i
nto la
ne, m
aintai
ns ad
e-qu
ate di
stanc
e, ob
eys t
raffic
sign
al. N
OTES
:
Left
and
right
turn
s - S
ignals
turn
, che
cks t
raffic
befor
e pro
ceed
ing, a
llows
ample
spac
e on
left tu
rns,
stays
in/tu
rns i
nto co
rrect
lane,
does
not c
ut ac
ross
corn
ers.
NOT
ES:
Ba
ckin
g – B
acks
slow
ly, de
liber
ately,
and i
n a st
raigh
t line
or as
need
ed, lo
oks b
ack
throu
gh re
ar w
indow
. NOT
ES:
Pa
rkin
g – S
ignals
turn
into
spac
e, pa
rks be
twee
n line
s pull
s full
y into
spac
e. N
OTES
:
Drive
r cou
rtesy
– De
mons
trates
patie
nce,
does
not y
ell at
othe
rs, bl
ast h
orn,
or m
ake h
and
gestu
res t
o ped
estria
ns or
othe
r veh
icle o
pera
tors i
n ang
er or
frus
tratio
n; ma
intain
s pro
per
distan
ce be
twee
n veh
icles
, doe
s not
tailga
te or
switc
h lan
es ag
gres
sively
or er
ratic
ally.
NO
TES:
10
Drivi
ng L
og In
stru
ctio
ns
Use t
his lo
g to k
eep t
rack
of dr
iving
expe
rienc
es. P
lease
keep
the f
ollow
ing po
ints i
n mind
rega
rding
Lear
ners
Licen
se dr
ivers:
Le
arne
rs mu
st ha
ve at
leas
t 50 h
ours
of be
hind-
the-w
heel
drivi
ng ex
perie
nce,
of wh
ich 10
hour
s mus
t be a
t nigh
t.
Lear
ners
may o
nly dr
ive du
ring d
aylig
ht ho
urs f
or th
e firs
t thre
e mon
ths. A
fter t
hat ti
me, th
ey m
ay dr
ive un
til 10
p.m.
Le
arne
rs mu
st alw
ays d
rive w
ith a
licen
sed d
river
who
is at
leas
t 21 y
ears
old an
d occ
upies
the f
ront
pass
enge
r sea
t. Sa
mpl
e Log
Da
te Lo
catio
n of P
racti
ce
Time o
f da
y W
eathe
r Con
dition
s Tim
e spe
nt Pa
rent/
Guar
dian
Initia
ls Sk
ills P
racti
ced
4/5/20
07 pa
rking
lot
10am
dr
y, su
nny
30 m
inutes
AB
C pa
rking
, bac
king,
quick
sto
pping
4/8/20
07 ne
ighbo
rhoo
d 3p
m ra
in, ov
erca
st 45
minu
tes
ABC
obey
ing st
reet
signs
, left
turns
, rou
ndab
out
4/12/2
007 h
ighwa
y 2p
m ov
erca
st 1 h
our
ABC
prop
er fo
llowi
ng, la
ne
chan
ging,
merg
ing, e
xit
11
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
12
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
13
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
14
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
15
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
16
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
17
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
18
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
19
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
20
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
21
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
22
Date
Loca
tion o
f Pra
ctice
Tim
e of
day
Wea
ther C
ondit
ions
Time s
pent
Pare
nt/Gu
ardia
n Ini
tials
Skills
Pra
ctice
d
23
STA
TE O
F FL
OR
IDA
D
EPA
RTM
ENT
OF
HIG
HW
AY
SAFE
TY A
ND
MO
TOR
VEH
ICLE
S
CER
TIFI
CA
TIO
N O
F D
RIV
ING
EXP
ERIE
NC
E O
F A
MIN
OR
I d
o he
reby
con
sent
that
____
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____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
___
,
F
irst
Mid
dle
L
ast
a m
inor
, dat
e of
birt
h __
____
____
____
____
____
___
has d
riven
a m
inim
um o
f 50
hour
s dur
ing
the
past
12
mon
ths,
of w
hich
10
hour
s of d
rivin
g w
ere
at n
ight
per
Sec
tion
322.
05(3
), Fl
orid
a St
atut
es.
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___
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____
____
____
____
____
___
Sign
atur
e of
Par
ent,
Lega
l Gua
rdia
n or
Prin
t Nam
e
Res
pons
ible
Adu
lt ST
ATE
OF
FLO
RID
A
CO
UN
TY O
F __
____
____
____
____
____
Sw
orn
to (o
r aff
irmed
) and
subs
crib
ed b
efor
e m
e th
is _
____
____
___d
ay o
f ___
____
____
____
____
_,
20__
____
_,
By
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
___
who
is p
erso
nally
kno
wn
to m
e or
pro
duce
d id
entif
i-ca
tion
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
_ as
pro
of o
f ide
ntifi
catio
n.
(Ide
ntifi
catio
n ty
pe a
nd n
umbe
r)
____
____
____
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____
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____
____
____
____
_ N
otar
y Pu
blic
or D
L Ex
amin
er-S
igna
ture
__
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
___
Prin
t, Ty
pe, o
r Sta
mp
Com
mis
sion
ed N
ame
of N
otar
y Pu
blic
IN
STR
UC
TIO
NS:
1.
One
par
ent,
lega
l gua
rdia
n, o
r oth
er re
spon
sibl
e ad
ult o
ver 2
1 ye
ars o
f age
mus
t sig
n th
is fo
rm.
2. A
ll si
gnat
ures
mus
t be
nota
rized
or w
itnes
sed
by a
n ex
amin
er.
HSM
V 7
1022
B (0
706)
Additional Teen Driving Resources For further information on teen driving, please visit the following websites: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles www.hsmv.state.fl.us Ford Motor Company & Governor’s Highway Safety Association www.drivingskillsforlife.com Toyota & National Safety Council www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com AAA, AAMVA, MADD, Daimler Chrysler, & National Safety Council www.roadreadyteens.org Nissan & MADD www.stridesforchange.com Allstate Insurance Company www.allstate.com Cingular Wireless http://www.cingular.com/sensible_programs/teen_driving National Highway Traffic Safety Administration www.nhtsa.gov
Produced and distributed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Funding provided by the Florida Department of Transportation.