2.3 Junior Operator Suspensions, Retraining & Reinstatement
Key Takeaways
A Junior Operator's first speeding conviction suspends the license for 90 days and requires a new permit exam, Driver Attitudinal Retraining and a new road test, with a $500 reinstatement fee.
A Junior Operator's first conviction for using a mobile electronic device brings a 60-day suspension, a $100 fine, a new permit exam and Driver Attitudinal Retraining.
Every permit suspension for driving without a licensed driver or violating the night limit requires retaking the learner's permit exam, with a $100 reinstatement fee.
Under M.G.L. c. 90, s. 24P, a Junior Operator convicted of OUI or several other serious offenses receives an added 180-day suspension for a first offense and one year for a later one.
Parents or guardians are notified whenever a Junior Operator's permit or license is suspended.
Junior Operator penalties are much stricter than adult penalties for the same act. An adult's first speeding ticket brings a fine and an insurance surcharge. A Junior Operator's first speeding conviction takes the license for 90 days and sends the driver back to the permit exam and road test. The two RMV charts below apply to drivers aged 16½ to 18.
Mandatory PERMIT Suspensions (Junior Operators)
| Violation | Suspension | Reinstatement requirements | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving without a licensed driver | 60 days first; 180 days second; 1 year after | Retake permit exam every time; second offense adds Driver Attitudinal Retraining | $100 |
| Driving during the night restriction | 60 days first; 180 days second; 1 year after | Retake permit exam every time; second offense adds retraining | $100 |
| Speeding | 90 days first; 1 year after | New permit exam | $100 |
| Drag racing | 1 year first; 3 years after | New permit exam and retraining; SCARR may be required | $500 first; $1,000 after |
| Mobile electronic device use | 60 days first; 180 days second; 1 year after | First offense: $100 fine, new permit exam and retraining; fines $250 second and $500 third | $100 |
| Negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use | 180 days first; 1 year after | Second and later offenses need a new permit exam | $500 |
Mandatory LICENSE Suspensions (Junior Operators)
| Violation | Suspension | Reinstatement requirements | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger or night restriction | 60 days first; 180 days second; 1 year after | Second and later: retraining; third and later: new permit exam and road test | $100 |
| Speeding | 90 days first; 1 year after | Every offense: new permit exam, retraining and new road test; SCARR may be required | $500 |
| Drag racing | 1 year first; 3 years after | Every offense: new permit exam, retraining and new road test; SCARR may be required | $500 for a first offense |
| Negligent or reckless operation / operating to endanger | 180 days first; 1 year for a later offense within three years | Second and later: new permit exam and road test | $500 |
| Mobile electronic device use | 60 days first; 180 days second; 1 year after | First offense: $100 fine, new permit exam, retraining and new road test; fines $250 second and $500 third | $100 |
| Negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use | 180 days first; 1 year after | Second and later: new permit exam and road test | $500 |
The Extra Section 24P Suspension
On top of every other penalty, M.G.L. chapter 90, section 24P adds a 180-day suspension for a first offense and a one-year suspension for a later offense when a Junior Operator is convicted of any of these:
- Operating under the influence (OUI), or OUI with serious bodily injury
- Operating to endanger, or reckless or negligent operation
- Leaving the scene of a crash
- Drinking from an open alcohol container
- Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
- Loaning a license or permit, or letting someone else use it
- Motor vehicle homicide
This add-on does not apply when the junior operator already received the additional suspension for failing or refusing a breath test (Chapter 6).
The Retraining Courses
- Driver Attitudinal Retraining is the RMV-selected program that "encourages attitudinal changes" in young drivers. The charts require it for a second unsupervised-driving, passenger or night violation, for every license-level speeding suspension, and for every drag racing or phone suspension. A permit-level speeding suspension requires only a new permit exam.
- State Courts Against Road Rage (SCARR) may be required for categories such as speeding and drag racing, or ordered by a court. A Junior Operator takes SCARR only once.
- Neither course is the same as the adult Driver Retraining program ordered after three surchargeable events (Section 5.2).
Parents or guardians are notified of any Junior Operator suspension.
Worked Scenarios
- First speeding ticket at 17: a 90-day license suspension, then a new permit exam, Driver Attitudinal Retraining and a new road test, possibly SCARR, and a $500 reinstatement fee.
- Texting at 16 with a JOL (first offense): a 60-day suspension, a $100 fine, a new permit exam, retraining and a new road test before reinstatement ($100 fee).
- Second night-restriction violation: 180 days plus Driver Attitudinal Retraining. A third violation adds a new permit exam and road test.
- Permit holder caught driving alone (first offense): a 60-day permit suspension and a new permit exam. The six-month permit clock for the JOL also restarts when the suspension ends.
Why the Penalties Stack
A single traffic stop can trigger several consequences at once: the court fine, the chart suspension, any Section 24P add-on, a reset of the clean-record period needed before a road test, and, for a permit holder, a restart of the six consecutive months needed to qualify. That is why the permit exam asks about these numbers so often.
A 17-year-old Junior Operator is convicted of speeding for the first time. What is required for reinstatement?
30-day suspension and the eight-hour Driver Retraining course, $100 fee
1-year suspension, a new road test only, and a $1,000 reinstatement fee
90-day suspension, new permit exam, retraining, new road test, $500 fee
No suspension; only a fine and an insurance surcharge, as for adult drivers
A Junior Operator is convicted for the first time of using a phone while driving. Which penalty matches the RMV chart?
60-day suspension and $100 fine, plus permit exam, retraining and road test
1-year suspension and a $500 fine, plus permanent loss of the JOL
180-day suspension and a $250 fine, plus a new permit exam and road test
A $25 fine with no suspension, since it is a first civil infraction
Under M.G.L. c. 90, s. 24P, what extra suspension does a Junior Operator receive for a first conviction of leaving the scene of a crash?
30 days
60 days
180 days
3 years
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