RALEIGH, N.C. – New legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly is changing the permit process for up and coming drivers across the state.

What You Need To Know

  •  The North Carolina House and Senate passed a bill changing the permit process

  •  Drivers can now meet their practice driving hours in 9 months, rather than 12

  •  The legislation would also allow a driver with a provisional license to drive a family member and another student to and from school without needing someone 21 years of age or older in the car

As a parent and an educator, making sure her two children are in the best learning environment for their needs is important to Amber Huston.

That means, however, that her family is all spread out during the school day.

Her daughter goes to school in Durham, her son’s school is in Apex and Huston teaches in Research Triangle Park.

“Right now, my husband will take my daughter to school, and then my son rides with another family to get him to school in the mornings,” Huston said. “Then in the afternoons, because I'm able to get off work at one, I'm able to pick up my son and my husband is able to get my daughter.”

When her daughter started practicing and learning for her driver’s license, however, Huston learned that her current situation wasn’t legal.

So, she called one of her state legislators.

“Where I asked him, ‘Is this what the law says? Is it really illegal for a teen driver with her license to take a non-family member to school?’ And the answer is it's not illegal. It's only illegal if she also has to take her sibling to school. But she has a sibling, so it didn't fix my problem,” Huston said.

It turns out Huston isn’t the only parent having issues with the current permit and teen driver’s licensing laws.

The North Carolina House and Senate recently passed legislation to make changes to the law.

The minimum amount of months for permit holders to get their needed practice hours was lowered from 12 months to 9 months, splitting the difference from the 6 month minimum that was enacted during COVID.

Added to that legislation was a clause that would fix Huston’s situation.

It would allow a driver with a provisional license to drive a family member and another student to and from school without needing someone 21 years of age or older in the car.

While Huston waited for a resolution, she knew she needed to act for her family. She told her school she couldn’t come back next year becasue she needed to get her son to school every day.

“I didn't want to put the school in a position where they didn't have a teacher in the last minute. So, I wanted them to be aware of the problem that I had for my family and that I might not be able to get to school on time if I had to take them to school,” Huston said.

The legislation now goes to Governor Roy Cooper, who can sign the bill into law, let it become law without his signature or veto it.

Huston knows she can get another job if this change becomes law, and says it will also help other families get back to work.

“Families need to get their kids to school and they depend on other people, and that's why so many families carpool, because we don't have extended family members. We don't have grandparents to help us. We don't have aunts and uncles that can come and help get our children to school, and our children are all over the place. You know, buses aren't always reliable or they some schools don't even have buses,” Huston said. “If it passes, will enable families to get their children to school so that both parents will be able to work.”