This message goes out to all you teen drivers working your way up the ladder of North Carolina's graduated licensing program: Before you move up from a learner's permit to a provisional license, you're going to have to spend at least 60 hours of quality time behind the wheel with one of your parents riding front-seat shotgun.
This new requirement takes effect for most limited provisional licenses issued after Jan. 1, 2013 (for all limited provisional licenses issued to teens who got their learner's permits after Jan. 1, 2012). To get a provisional license, you must be at least 16 years old, you must have had a learner's permit for at least a year, and you must be able to document the 60 hours of parent-supervised driving with written logs signed by a parent.
(Update: see 1/1/2013 Road Worrier.) If you're a teen driver or a teen driver's parent, I'd like to hear your perspective. Please call me at 919-829-4527 or email me at bruce.siceloff@newsoberver.com.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter, editor and blogger since 1976, he took over the