The Junior Operator’s Bill was signed into law on January 3, 2007. This new law placed significant restrictions on junior operators within the Commonwealth. An individual is deemed to be junior operator if they are under eighteen years of age and are within the first six months of receiving their license.
Some of the new restrictions include a junior operator may not operate a motor vehicle with a passenger under the age of 18 unless accompanied by a person who is at least 21 and a junior operator may not operate a motor vehicle between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent. Penalties for violating these provisions include a 60-day suspension of their license and a $100 reinstatement fee.
The penalties a junior operator faces for moving traffic violations are severe. A speeding ticket will result in a 90-day suspension of their license, completion of the Driver Attitudinal Retraining course and State Courts Against Road Rage (“SCARR”) course, payment of a $500 reinstatement fee, and retake and pay for the permit test and road test. The penalties are even more severe for other serious motor vehicle infractions.
If your child is a junior operator and receives a citation from a police department, contact us immediately to learn about your child’s rights to a hearing and the opportunity to save their license.
Ianello & Brittain P.C. located in Western Massachusetts, with offices in Springfield, represent you in personal injury and criminal cases.
