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Teen License Restrictions

Once your teen passes the road test and obtains the license, there are two restrictions on the their license: 

Passenger Restrictions

Curfew (time to drive restrictions)

Seatbelt and Number of Passengers

Cell Phone Use while Driving

These restrictions have been put in place since 2008 and are the result of teen driving fatalities in CT.  They are here to protect your teen and their passengers during their initial phase of independent driving.  

Passenger Restrictions

First Six Months (0-6)
after licensing

Teens cannot have any passengers in their car during the first six months of licensing unless the passenger is one of the following:

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Parents/guardian 

Driving Instructor

Anyone who has held a license for four (4) years, not suspended in the recent four (4) years. 

Last Six Months
(months 7-12)
after licensing

In addition to the persons listed in the first six month column, teens are now allowed to drive with siblings in the vehicle.  

A sibling is defined as a direct blood relative or those living in the same household.  

One Year 
(months after 12)
after licensing

Teens are now allowed to drive 

with ANYONE in the vehicle.  

This includes friends and relatives.  

These friends and relatives do not need to have held the license for four years to be in the vehicle with your teen. 

CURFEW
(WHEN CAN MY TEEN DRIVE AND
WHEN CAN MY TEEN NOT DRIVE)

The state of CT has a teen curfew from 11pm to 5 am.  This means that your teen CANNOT drive during those hours.  There are exceptions to that curfew and those include:

1. Employment

2. Driving from a school event, i.e. driving home from prom

3. Driving to/from a religious event

4. The teen is part of an EMS or Safe Ride Program, i.e., they have been paged to get to an emergency event or are needed to drive someone home

5. An emergency situation, meaning someone needs medical care.  

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The curfew restriction is in place until their 18th birthday.

Seatbelts and Number of Passengers
and
Cell Phone Use

All teen drivers:

1. cannot have more passengers in the vehicle than number of seatbelts

2. must ensure that ALL passengers in the vehicle are using the seatbelt, even those passengers in the back seat

(FYI-this is now a law for ALL drivers regardless of age of driver)

3. cannot use a cell phone, even bluetooth, until they are 18 years old.  The GPS and music apps on the phone can be used but the phone cannot be held in their hand while driving. 

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