Graduated Driver Licensing and Passenger Restraint Laws

PennDOT – Changes Affecting Graduated Driver Licensing and Passenger Restraint Laws

Drivers under the age of 18 may only transport passengers equal with the number of seat belts in the vehicle.

For the first six months after receiving their junior driver’s license, a driver is not permitted to have more than one passenger under age 18 who is not an immediate family member (brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister of the junior driver and adopted or foster children living in the same household as the junior driver) in their vehicle unless they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Drivers and occupants in a vehicle who are under the age of 18 must wear a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt, and children under the age of eight must be securely fastened in a child restraint system. Failure to comply with the new law’s seat belt provisions is a primary offense, meaning that a driver can be pulled over and cited solely for that violation.

(Twp News Letter Winter 2012 Road Rules)