Ohio Traffic Tickets for Minors

Ohio Traffic Tickets for Minors

One of the biggest events in a teenager’s life is the day they obtain their license and drive a car.  With that privilege to drive, though, comes much responsibility.  Ohio actually has more laws that minor drivers must be aware of than adult drivers.  That is because Ohio lawmakers have created laws that are designed to keep teen drivers, their passengers, and other drivers as safe as possible.

Like many other states, Ohio has adopted a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system.  That system is intended to reduce the number of accidents caused by inexperienced teenage drivers.  The system is designed to gradually introduce inexperienced drivers to more and more driving privileges as they gain behind-the-wheel experience and ultimately, their official Ohio driver’s license.

Here is a Summary of Ohio’s Traffic Laws for Minors

Obtaining a Temporary Permit

To obtain a temporary permit (Temporary Instruction Permit Identification Card) in Ohio, a person must be at least 15 years, 6 months old and must show proof of age, identity and Social Security number.  A parent or legal guardian must cosign the permit application and must also present two forms of identification.  The person will also need to pass both a written driving knowledge test and a visual examination before receiving their permit.

Teen drivers under the age of 16 that hold a temporary permit may only drive with a licensed parent, legal guardian or certified driving instructor.  Once the teen driver has reached the age of 16, they are then allowed to drive with any licensed driver that is a minimum of 21 years of age.  The accompanying driver must occupy the front passenger seat next to the teen driver.  The temporary permit holder must carry a photo identification card with their application (with front and back data) at all times while driving.

All temporary permit holders must complete 24 hours of classroom instruction and 8 hours of driving instruction with a certified driving instructor.  In addition to that training, the teen driver must complete 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, including driving at least 10 of those 50 hours at nighttime driving.  That driving must be documented and certified by the parent or legal guardian of the temporary permit holder.

The temporary permit must be held for a minimum of 6 months before taking the skills test to obtain an Ohio Driver’s License.

Obtaining a Probationary Driver’s License

To obtain a probationary driver’s license, a person must be 16 years of age, have held a temporary instruction permit for a minimum of 6 months, and must have completed a driver’s education program.  The individual must also pass a driving and maneuverability test.

Probationary license holders who are 16 years of age cannot operate a motor vehicle between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. unless they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, except under the following emergency circumstances:

• Driving to or from a school sanctioned activity
• Driving to or from a place of employment (but you must have written documentation from your employer)

Probationary license holders who are 17 years of age may not drive between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless they are with a parent or legal guardian, with the exceptions listed above.  Teen license holders who are 16 years of age may not carry more than one passenger who is not an immediate family member unless they are accompanied by their parent or legal guardian.

Probationary license holders may not drive with more passengers than the total number of safety belts in the vehicle.  The State of Ohio Probationary License is valid until the teen driver reaches the age of 18.

Probationary license holders that are convicted of a moving violation within the first 6 months of receiving their probationary license must be accompanied by a licensed parent or legal guardian while driving for a 6 month period after conviction or until the teen driver turns 17, whichever comes first.

Other Ohio Teen Driver Restrictions

• If you are under the age of 18, you cannot have more than one passenger who is not a family member.  A family member is anyone who is a “parent, step-parent, grandparent, parent-in-law, a sibling (whether of whole or half blood or by adoption), a brother-in-law or sister-in-law, a spouse, a child or step-child, an aunt or uncle, a son or daughter of the probationary license holder’s step-parent if the step-parent has not adopted the probationary license holder,” according to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.  The age of the passenger does not matter.
• Violating the passenger limit would be a “primary offense,” which means that law enforcement officials can pull you over for violating it without any other reason.
• Driving during the restricted hours is a “secondary offense,” so law enforcement officials would need to see you violating another law, such as speeding or carrying too many passengers, before they can pull you over.

Learning how to be a responsible teen driver and how to properly control and drive a car are difficult tasks.  Unfortunately, this learning process may involve being issued citations for speeding or other violations.  When teenage drivers speed or receive multiple violations, the penalties can be harsh and can even affect a teen’s right to continue driving for an extended period of time.  We also understand the reality that teen drivers are often targeted unfairly; and we know how to deal with the Police Officers, Prosecutors, and Courts that prosecute our local teens.

Ohio Traffic Tickets For Minors – Let Us Defend Your Rights Or Your Teenager’s Rights

If you are a teenager, or if your teenaged driver has received a traffic citation, call our office to schedule an appointment with one of the attorneys at Holzfaster, Cecil, McKnight & Mues.  Our attorneys will aggressively defend your rights and will use their knowledge and years of experience to help you navigate through all of the area’s Traffic Courts.  Call our office at (937) 293-2141 and schedule an appointment with one of our Ohio traffic tickets for minors attorneys today.  Or, if you would prefer, you can use our form below to contact us online.  In addition, we have an emergency phone number, (937) 760-4357, which we answer around-the-clock.  We can discuss and analyze the case and aggressively protect your legal rights.