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39:3-10. No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a public highway in this State unless the person is under supervision while participating in a behind-the-wheel driving course pursuant to section 6 of P.L.1977, c.25 (C.39:3-13.2a) or is in possession of a validated permit, or a provisional or basic driver's license issued to him in accordance with this article.

No person under 18 years of age shall be issued a basic license to drive motor vehicles, nor shall a person be issued a validated permit, including a validated examination permit, until he has passed a satisfactory examination and other requirements as to his ability as an operator. The examination shall include a test of the applicant's vision, his ability to understand traffic control devices, his knowledge of safe driving practices and of the effects that ingestion of alcohol or drugs has on a person's ability to operate a motor vehicle, his knowledge of such portions of the mechanism of motor vehicles as is necessary to insure the safe operation of a vehicle of the kind or kinds indicated by the applicant and of the laws and ordinary usages of the road. No person shall sit for an examination for any permit without exhibiting photo identification deemed acceptable by the commission, unless that person is a high school student participating in a course of driving education approved by the State Department of Education and conducted in a public, parochial or private school of this State, pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1950, c.127 (C.39:3-13.1). The commission may waive the written law knowledge examination for any person 18 years of age or older possessing a valid driver's license issued by any other state, the District of Columbia or the United States Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The commission shall be required to provide that person with a booklet that highlights those motor vehicle laws unique to New Jersey. A road test shall be required for a provisional license and serve as a demonstration of the applicant's ability to operate a vehicle of the class designated. No person shall sit for a road test unless that person exhibits photo identification deemed acceptable by the commission. A high school student who has completed a course of behind-the-wheel automobile driving education approved by the State Department of Education and conducted in a public, parochial or private school of this State, who has been issued a special learner's permit pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1950, c.127 (C.39:3-13.1) prior to January 1, 2003, shall not be required to exhibit photo identification in order to sit for a road test. The commission may waive the road test for any person 18 years of age or older possessing a valid driver's license issued by any other state, the District of Columbia or the United States Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The road test shall be given on public streets, where practicable and feasible, but may be preceded by an off-street screening process to assess basic skills. The commission shall approve locations for the road test which pose no more than a minimal risk of injury to the applicant, the examiner and other motorists. No new locations for the road test shall be approved unless the test can be given on public streets.

The commission shall issue a basic driver's license to operate a motor vehicle other than a motorcycle to a person over 18 years of age who previously has not been licensed to drive a motor vehicle in this State or another jurisdiction only if that person has: (1) operated a passenger automobile in compliance with the requirements of this title for not less than one year, not including any period of suspension or postponement, from the date of issuance of a provisional license pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1950, c.127 (C.39:3-13.4); (2) not been assessed more than two motor vehicle points; (3) not been convicted in the previous year for a violation of R.S.39:4-50, section 2 of P.L.1981, c.512 (C.39:4-50.4a), P.L.1992, c.189 (C.39:4-50.14), R.S.39:4-129, N.J.S.2C:11-5, subsection c. of N.J.S.2C:12-1, or any other motor vehicle-related violation the commission determines to be significant and applicable pursuant to regulation; and (4) passed an examination of his ability to operate a motor vehicle pursuant to this section.

The commission shall expand the driver's license examination by 20%. The additional questions to be added shall consist solely of questions developed in conjunction with the State Department of Health and Senior Services concerning the use of alcohol or drugs as related to highway safety. The commission shall develop in conjunction with the State Department of Health and Senior Services supplements to the driver's manual which shall include information necessary to answer any question on the driver's license examination concerning alcohol or drugs as related to highway safety.

Up to 20 questions may be added to the examination on subjects to be determined by the commission that are of particular relevance to youthful drivers, after consultation with the Director of the Office of Highway Traffic Safety.

The commission shall expand the driver's license examination to include a question asking whether the applicant is aware of the provisions of the "Uniform Anatomical Gift Act," P.L.1969, c.161 (C.26:6-57 et seq.) and the procedure for indicating on the driver's license the intention to make a donation of body organs or tissues pursuant to P.L.1978, c.181 (C.39:3-12.2).

Any person applying for a driver's license to operate a motor vehicle or motorized bicycle in this State shall surrender to the commission any current driver's license issued to him by another state or jurisdiction upon his receipt of a driver's license for this State. The commission shall refuse to issue a driver's license if the applicant fails to comply with this provision. An applicant for a permit or license who is less than 18 years of age, and who holds a permit or license for a passenger automobile issued by another state or country that is valid or has expired within a time period designated by the commission, shall be subject to the permit and license requirements and penalties applicable to State permit and license applicants who are of the same age; except that if the other state or country has permit or license standards substantially similar to those of this State, the credentials of the other state or country shall be acceptable.

The commission shall create classified licensing of drivers covering the following classifications:

a.Motorcycles, except that for the purposes of this section, motorcycle shall not include any three-wheeled motor vehicle equipped with a single cab with glazing enclosing the occupant, seats similar to those of a passenger vehicle or truck, seat belts and automotive steering.

b.Omnibuses as classified by R.S.39:3-10.1 and school buses classified under N.J.S.18A:39-1 et seq.

c.(Deleted by amendment, P.L.1999, c.28).

d.All motor vehicles not included in classifications a. and b. A license issued pursuant to this classification d. shall be referred to as the "basic driver's license."

Every applicant for a license under classification b. shall be a holder of a basic driver's license. Any issuance of a license under classification b. shall be by endorsement on the basic driver's license.

A driver's license for motorcycles may be issued separately, but if issued to the holder of a basic driver's license, it shall be by endorsement on the basic driver's license.

The commission, upon payment of the lawful fee and after it or a person authorized by it has examined the applicant and is satisfied of the applicant's ability as an operator, may, in its discretion, issue a license to the applicant to drive a motor vehicle. The license shall authorize him to drive any registered vehicle, of the kind or kinds indicated, and shall expire, except as otherwise provided, on the last day of the 48th calendar month following the calendar month in which such license was issued.

The commission may, at its discretion and for good cause shown, issue licenses which shall expire on a date fixed by it. If the commission issues a license to a person who has demonstrated authorization to be present in the United States for a period of time shorter than the standard period of the license, the commission shall fix the expiration date of the license at a date based on the period in which the person is authorized to be present in the United States under federal immigration laws. The commission may renew such a license only if it is demonstrated that the person's continued presence in the United States is authorized under federal law. The fee for licenses with expiration dates fixed by the commission shall be fixed by the commission in amounts proportionately less or greater than the fee herein established.

The required fee for a license for the 48-month period shall be as follows:

Motorcycle license or endorsement: $18.

Omnibus or school bus endorsement: $18.

Basic driver's license: $18.

The commission shall waive the payment of fees for issuance of omnibus endorsements whenever an applicant establishes to the commission's satisfaction that said applicant will use the omnibus endorsement exclusively for operating omnibuses owned by a nonprofit organization duly incorporated under Title 15 or 16 of the Revised Statutes or Title 15A of the New Jersey Statutes.

The commission shall issue licenses for the following license period on and after the first day of the calendar month immediately preceding the commencement of such period, such licenses to be effective immediately.

All applications for renewals of licenses shall be made in a manner prescribed by the commission and in accordance with procedures established by it.

The commission in its discretion may refuse to grant a permit or license to drive motor vehicles to a person who is, in its estimation, not a proper person to be granted such a permit or license, but no defect of the applicant shall debar him from receiving a permit or license unless it can be shown by tests approved by the commission that the defect incapacitates him from safely operating a motor vehicle.

In addition to requiring an applicant for a driver's license to submit satisfactory proof of identity and age, the commission also shall require the applicant to provide, as a condition for obtaining a permit and license, satisfactory proof that the applicant's presence in the United States is authorized under federal law.

If the commission has reasonable cause to suspect that any document presented by an applicant as proof of identity, age or legal residency is altered, false or otherwise invalid, the commission shall refuse to grant the permit or license until such time as the document may be verified by the issuing agency to the commission's satisfaction.

A person violating this section shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 60 days, but if that person has never been licensed to drive in this State or any other jurisdiction, he shall be subject to a fine of not less than $200 and, in addition, the court shall issue an order to the commission requiring the commission to refuse to issue a license to operate a motor vehicle to the person for a period of not less than 180 days. The penalties provided for by this paragraph shall not be applicable in cases where failure to have actual possession of the operator's license is due to an administrative or technical error by the commission.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or extend the expiration of any license issued prior to the date this amendatory and supplementary act becomes operative.

Amended 1938, c.66, s.6; 1953, c.72; 1955, c.8, s.5; 1955, c.76, s.1; 1957, c.108; 1964, c.118; 1968, c.130, s.2; 1977, c.25, s.1; 1979, c.97, s.1; 1979, c.261, s.5; 1980, c.105, s.7; 1981, c.322, s.2; 1982, c.45, s.1; 1983, c.162; 1983, c.163; 1983, c.403, s.7; 1984, c.33, s.2; 1985, c.264, s.2; 1987, c.20, s.1; 1988, c.8, s.2; 1991, c.452, s.7; 1992, c.110, s.1; 1993, c.34, s.1; 1998, c.108, s.1; 1999, c.28, s.2 (Title of 1999, c.28 amended 2001, c.391, s.1); 2001, c.391, s.2; 2001, c.420, s.3; 2003, c.13, s.37.

39:3-10a Fee for restoration of suspended or revoked licenses, vehicle registrations 23. The Director of Motor Vehicles shall charge a fee of $100 for the restoration of any license which has been suspended or revoked by reason of the licensee's violation of any law or regulation and for the restoration of vehicle registrations that have been suspended pursuant to any law. The director may promulgate such regulations hereunder as he may deem necessary.

L.1975, c.180, s.23; amended 1982, c.53, s.1; 1994, c.60, s.14; 2002, c.34, s.14.

39:3-10b Applications for motorcycle license.

1.An applicant for a motorcycle license, but not for a motorcycle endorsement to a basic license, who previously has never been licensed to drive a motor vehicle in this, or any other state, shall, during the permit period, be subject to the applicable restrictions and penalties for examination permit holders as provided under R.S.39:3-13. Until the provisions of P.L.1998, c.108, as amended by P.L.2001, c.420, are fully implemented, all holders of permits issued pursuant to R.S.39:3-13 and section 6 of P.L.1977, c.25 (C.39:3-13.2a) shall be subject to a probationary driver program for the two-year period immediately following the issuance of the permits. This two-year period shall not be altered if the permit holder obtains a provisional driver's license pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1950, c.127 (C.39:3-13.4). All holders of permits issued on or after the date of full implementation of P.L.1998, c.108, as amended by P.L.2001, c.420, shall not be subject to this section.

L.1977,c.23,s.1; amended 1998, c.108, s.2. 2001, c.420, s.4.

39:3-10e. Involvement in two or more accidents within 6 months with assessment of points; reexamination The holder of any motor vehicle driver's license who is involved, within any 6-month period, in two or more motor vehicle accidents resulting in death or in personal injury or damage to property of any one person in excess of $500.00 required to be reported to police pursuant to R.S. 39:4-130, and against whom there has been assessed motor vehicle points for each such accident, shall on notice to be given by the Division of Motor Vehicles, be required to submit to reexamination and successful passage of an examination of his ability as an operator and a test of his vision, by the division or by any licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Failure to pass the examination or test required by this act shall be justification for the revocation and refusal to renew the holder's driver's license.

L.1979, c. 136, s. 1, eff. July 6, 1979. Amended by L.1983, c. 193, s. 2, eff. May 24, 1983.

39:3-10f Initial license, renewal, digitized color picture of licensee required; exceptions. 1.In addition to the requirements for the form and content of a motor vehicle driver's license under R.S.39:3-10, on and after the operative date of P.L.2001, c.391 (C.39:3-10f4 et al.), each initial New Jersey license and each renewal of a New Jersey driver's license shall have a digitized color picture of the licensee. All licenses issued on and after January 1, 2000 shall be valid for a period of 48 calendar months. However, the director may, at his discretion, issue licenses and endorsements which shall expire on a date fixed by him. The fee for such licenses or endorsements shall be fixed in amounts proportionately less or greater than the fee otherwise established. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, a person 70 years of age or older may elect to have a license issued for a period of two or four years, which election may not be altered by the director. The fee for the two-year license shall be $9, in addition to the fee for a digitized picture established in section 4 of P.L.2001, c.391 (C.39:3-10f4).

Each initial motor vehicle license issued to a person under the age of 21 after the effective date of P.L.1999, c.28 shall be conspicuously distinct, through the use of color and design, from the driver's licenses issued to persons 21 years of age or older. The director, in consultation with the Superintendent of State Police, shall determine the color and the manner in which the license is designed to achieve this result. The license shall also bear the words "UNDER 21" in a conspicuous manner. The director shall provide that upon attaining the age of 21, a licensee shall be issued a replacement driver's license or a new license, as appropriate. The fee for a replacement license shall be $5 in addition to the digitized picture fee.

As conditions for the renewal of a driver's license, the director shall provide that the picture of a licensee be updated except that the director may elect to use a stored picture to renew a license for a period not exceeding four additional years for $18 in addition to the digitized picture fee.

Whenever a person has reconstructive or cosmetic surgery which significantly alters the person's facial features, the person shall notify the division and the director may require the picture of the licensee to be updated, for $5 in addition to the digitized picture fee.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or change any expiration date on any New Jersey driver's license issued prior to the operative date of P.L.2001, c.391 (C.39:3-10f4 et al.) and, unless a licensee's driving privileges are otherwise suspended or revoked, except as provided in R.S.39:3-10, that license shall remain valid until that expiration date.

Specific use of the driver's license and any information stored or encoded, electronically or otherwise, in relation thereto shall be in accordance with P.L.1997, c.188 (C.39:2-3.3 et seq.) and the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994, Pub. L.103-322. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, the digitized picture or any access thereto or any use thereof shall not be sold, leased or exchanged for value.

To replace a photo-license issued prior to the effective date of this act for a licensee who is temporarily out of this State, the director may issue a "valid without picture" picture license for the unexpired term of the license.

L.1979,c.261,s.1; amended 1981, c.322, s.1; 1985, c.264, s.1; 1990, c.103, s.26; 1999, c.28, s.3; 2001, c.391, s.3.

39:3-10f1 Construction of act concerning local law enforcement costs.

15.Nothing in this act shall be construed as requiring any county or municipal law enforcement agency to acquire or use any electronic reader or other device in order to verify the authenticity of a driver's license issued pursuant to the provisions of this act, unless the cost of acquiring and using such devices is paid for by the State of New Jersey.

L.1999,c.28,s.15.

39:3-10f2 Release, disclosure of licensee's picture prohibited; exceptions.

16.Notwithstanding the provisions of P.L.1963, c.73 (C.47:1A-1 et seq.) or any other law to the contrary, a licensee's picture shall not be released or otherwise disclosed by the director, except, subject to the approval of the director, for use by a governmental agency, including any court or law enforcement agency in carrying out its functions, or, subject to the approval of the director, for use by any private person or entity acting on behalf of a federal, State or local agency in carrying out its functions.

L.1999,c.28,s.16.