With our new school year approaching, we can be sure there will be new excited young drivers on the roadways. We want to reach out to those new drivers as well as the parents of new drivers and remind everyone on the rules of Nebraska’s driving permits.
School permit; You are only permitted to operate a vehicle to and from where you attend school over the most direct and accessible route to and from your place of residence as it appears on your permit to attend courses and school-related activities. A student driving on a school permit is absolutely in violation by driving anywhere that is not directly to and from home and school; such as during lunch, or between practice and/or extra-curricular activities. Your school permit allows you to transport any family member who resides with you, but you are in violation by having any friends in the vehicle.
Learner’s permit: You are only permitted to drive when you are accompanied by a licensed operator in the front passenger seat who is at least 21 years of age. There are no restrictions when and where you can drive, as long as you have a front seat passenger who is at least 21 years of age with a valid license.
Provisional operator’s permit; You are permitted to operate a motor vehicle between 6 a.m. and 12 midnight, except when driving to or from your residence to your place of employment or a school activity. A provisional operator’s permit does allow you to operate a motor vehicle at any hour of the day or night if accompanied by an adult at least twenty-one years of age with a valid license. During the first six months, you may only operate a vehicle with no more than one passenger who is not an immediate family member and who is under nineteen years of age.
A holder of any of these permits is prohibited from using a cell phone while driving.
Some potential legal consequences of violating a driving permit could be a fine, probation, or even revocation, which could make a new driver ineligible to obtain another permit until they are 16 or 18 years old depending on what permit they hold.
We do not want anyone to experience any of these potential negative consequences, but if a teen is caught violating their permit, they will likely be issued a citation which has a mandatory court date.
For more information related to these permits, view the Nebraska State Statutes on school permits under Nebraska State Statute 60-4,124; learner’s permits under Nebraska State Statute 60-4,123; provisional operator’s permits under Nebraska State Statute 60-4,120.01.
