West Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing

Level I – Instruction Permit – Fee $5.00 (for two attempts)
An instruction permit allows you to operate a motor vehicle in order to learn to drive.
Requirements:

Take a written knowledge test Be at least 15 years old and less than 18 years old Expiration Date – 18th birthday This permit is not renewable.

If you are under the age of 18, a parent, single parent having custody, or legal guardian must sign your application, before you can be tested. Married applicants under the age of 18 are not required to have parental consent, however, you must present a copy of your certified marriage certificate. You must also have a current school eligibility form.
Restrictions for Level I:

Must have a licensed driver 21 or over in front seat May only drive between the hours of 5:00 am and 10:00 pm. All occupants must use safety belts in accordance with state law Zero alcohol tolerance May only have two additional non-family member passengers in addition to supervising adult. No cell phone usage/texting while operating a vehicle--you may be stopped by law enforcement as a primary offense

Level II – Intermediate Driver's License – Fee $5.00
Requirements:

Take a road skills test Be at least 16 years of age Held a Level I permit for 6 months Must be infraction free for 6 months immediately preceding date of application for level II Must have 50 hour certification form completed, with 10 of the hours being at night, and certified by parent or legal guardian or Driver Education Card

Expiration Date – 18th Birthday with 30 Day Grace Period
If you receive two moving violations on a Level II, your license will be suspended until your 18th birthday. Once you turned 18, you would have a reinstatement fee to pay and you would have to retest on all parts of the test.
Married applicants under the age of 18 are not required to have parental consent, however, you must present a copy of your certified marriage certificate. You must also have a current school eligibility form.

Restrictions for Level II:

May not operate a motor vehicle during his or her first six months of Level II status with any (0) non-family member passengers under the age of 20. May not operate a motor vehicle with more than one (1) non-family member under the age of 20 as a passenger during the second six months of Level II May drive without supervising adult between 5:00 am and 10:00 pm. Must be accompanied by a supervising adult driver between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. EXCEPT when the licensee is participating in or returning from: Employment, A school sanctioned activity, A religious activity, An emergency situation requiring the licensee to operate a motor vehicle to prevent bodily injury or death of another All occupants must use safety belts in accordance with state law Zero alcohol tolerance No cell phone usage/texting while operating a vehicle. You may be stopped by law enforcement as a primary offense

Level III – Full Class E License
Fee: $2.50 for each year until 21st birthday (plus .50 motor voter fee)
Requirements:

Must have at least 1 year with Level II Must be infraction free for 1 year (excludes headlamp violation and improper backing violation) Must be at least 17 years of age Expiration date: 21st birthday with 30 day grace period

Restrictions for Level III

Points will now be applied for any tickets received Zero alcohol tolerance All occupants must use safety belts in accordance with state law

What is West Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing?

What is West Virginia GDL? West Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing is a system for phasing in on-road driving, allowing beginners to get their initial experience under conditions that involve lower risk and introducing them in stages to more complex driving situations.

Take some time to watch the Young Drivers video here. See if your teen likes this video. If they do, they will love our West Virginia graduated driver licensing program.

We begin with combining the in-class with the behind-the-wheel training process concurrent with one another. Then we add more hours behind-the-wheel to give the new drivers an opportunity to experience all four seasons and weather conditions under a controlled risk factor. We take away the 6 hour driver training clock and base achievement and graduation on performance, skill and experience.

Remember when we were trying to teach our new teenagers as if we were traveling on a two-lane dirt road at 35 MPH, when our average traveled speed in West Virginia exceeds 55 MPH on a six-lane highway? Most families had a single vehicle in the fifties and sixties, and then to two vehicles in the seventies. The days of driving on weekends with mom and dad for the first year or two is over. In today’s hectic schedules, we are not allowing ourselves time to protect our West Virginia teens and teach them to drive as we should be. Parents need to realize that as the times change we must keep pace with that change.

Our driving generation, 35 to 50 years old, will be remembered as the worse driving generation in the history of the vehicle. We average 40,000 fatalities per year. Our generation needs to change the way we think and teach West Virginia graduated driver licensing.

If you look closely, you'll realize we spend about 12 years on basic education, reading writing, math, history and physical education…and only 6 hours behind the wheel training in a vehicle.

We need to be remembered as the generation that created the best West Virginia drivers in history. The generation that did something about the way we think and teach driver training. We need help from every mom and dad to complete this goal. We need to invest our time in our teenagers and take the time needed to teach our children to drive better.

This could mean as much as 1 or two years of guidance. And to do this you will need the very best West Virginia curriculum and training videos available. You will need to allow West Virginia graduated driver licensing to become part of your families dinner conversation and sharing experiences on new intersections, changes on the interstate on ramps or maybe a lost of a fellow student friend.

West Virginia Driver education and training is no longer a project to hire out to the local driving school. Parents need to get involved and stay involved for at least two or three years. Placing driving restrictions and hours on when a new driver is allowed to drive and with whom. This, in essence, is West Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing.