When a Virginia parent signs a teen’s learner’s permit paperwork, that signature starts a process the Commonwealth takes seriously: at least nine months of supervised practice, a state-approved driver education course, and a sworn certification that the practice hours happened. Below, we walk through what drivers ed involves in Virginia, who has to take it, how the rules change on January 1, 2027, and where parents fit in if a new driver is ever involved in a crash. When a collision does happen, a Richmond car accident lawyer at Tronfeld West & Durrett can sort out who pays and what the injured person is owed.
What Drivers Ed Covers in Virginia
Drivers ed in Virginia is not a single class. It is a standardized program with a classroom half and a behind-the-wheel half, and every approved provider teaches the same structure. According to the Virginia DMV’s driver education requirements, the program includes:
- 36 classroom sessions. Each one runs 50 minutes. Topics range from traffic law and hazard spotting to alcohol and drug abuse.
- 7 driving sessions. The student drives with a certified instructor in the car.
- 7 observation sessions. The student rides along and watches another student drive, which is often where the instructor’s corrections sink in.
- A final road skills examination. Passing it is part of completing the course.
- A 90-minute parent/teen component. Students under 18 must complete it as part of the classroom portion.
State law also dictates what the classroom must teach. Under Va. Code § 22.1-205, the curriculum has to cover aggressive driving, distracted driving, speeding and reckless driving, motorcycle awareness, and what to do during a traffic stop. The 90-minute parent/teen piece must be taken in person in Planning District 8 (Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park), and parents there must attend. Elsewhere, including the Richmond area, it may be offered in person or online, and parent attendance is encouraged but not required.
Every one of these topics shows up later in real crash files. The habits a teen learns in those 36 sessions are the same habits an insurance adjuster will pick apart after a collision, which is why our attorneys pay attention to how young drivers were trained.
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Who Has to Take Drivers Ed, and the 2027 Change
Whether drivers ed is optional depends on age, and for part of the adult population the answer is about to change.
Drivers Under 18
For anyone under 18, the course is mandatory. A minor cannot get a license without proof of completing a driver education course approved by the Virginia Department of Education or, for a private school, by the DMV. There is no workaround short of turning 18.
Adults Applying Before January 1, 2027
First-time applicants 18 and older currently have two paths. They can complete a driver education program, or they can hold a learner’s permit for at least 60 days and finish a behind-the-wheel checklist before the road test. This is the rule in Va. Code § 46.2-324.1 as it reads until the end of 2026.
Adults Applying On or After January 1, 2027
House Bill 1224 splits adults into two groups. First-time applicants ages 18 to 20 will have to hold a permit for at least 90 days and complete a state-approved driver education program. Applicants 21 and older can still choose between a 60-day permit hold and a driver education course. The DMV’s FAQ on the revised permit and driver education requirements adds a detail that catches people off guard: an 18 to 20 year old who got a permit in 2026 but gets the license after January 1, 2027 must show proof of completing driver education. People previously licensed in another state or country may be exempt.
If your family has a 19-year-old who planned to skip the course, the calendar now matters. Our team hears from families across Central Virginia after crashes involving new drivers of every age, and we can tell you how licensing status fits into an injury claim.
From Learner’s Permit to License: The Teen Timeline
For a Virginia teen, drivers ed sits inside a longer sequence. Here is the order most families follow:
- Get the learner’s permit. A Virginia resident can apply once they are older than 15 years and six months and pass the knowledge and vision exams. Under Va. Code § 46.2-335, a permit holder may drive only with a licensed driver 21 or older, a parent or legal guardian, or a sibling 18 or older, and that person must be alert, able to help, and seated beside the driver.
- Hold the permit for at least nine months. The clock does not start until the permit is issued.
- Complete drivers ed. Many students take the classroom portion at school or online through a licensed driver training school and then book the in-car sessions.
- Log 45 hours of practice. At least 15 of those hours must be after sunset. A parent, foster parent, or legal guardian certifies the hours on a DMV form.
- Apply for the license. A minor must be at least 16 years and three months old and have a parent or guardian sign the application.
- Drive on the temporary license. Once the course is done and the paperwork is signed, the permit plus the completion documentation works as a temporary license.
- Attend the licensing ceremony. Under Va. Code § 46.2-336, a juvenile and domestic relations court judge hands out the permanent license at a formal ceremony meant to drive home the responsibility that comes with it.
That ceremony is the state’s way of saying a license is a legal obligation, not a birthday present. Tronfeld West & Durrett sees the other side of that obligation when a new driver’s mistake leaves someone hurt.
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Rules That Follow a Teen After the Road Test
Passing drivers ed does not give a teen full driving privileges. Until 18, a Virginia license is provisional, and Va. Code § 46.2-334.01 attaches conditions to it:
- Passenger limit. A provisional driver may carry only one passenger under 21. After the first year, up to three passengers under 21 are allowed in specific situations, such as driving to or from a school-sponsored activity. Family and household members do not count against the limit.
- Late-night curfew. No driving between midnight and 4:00 a.m., with exceptions for work, supervised school or civic activities, emergencies, and driving with a parent.
- Extra consequences for violations. Demerit-point offenses committed before 18 trigger a mandatory driver improvement clinic, and repeat convictions lead to suspension.
The stakes behind these rules are measurable. The DMV’s 2025 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts report counts 33 teen drivers ages 15 to 19 killed in Virginia crashes in 2025, a 13.2% drop from 2024.
One legal detail surprises most people. Many traffic violations can serve as evidence of carelessness under the doctrine of negligence per se, but the General Assembly carved out the teen passenger and curfew rules. A violation of those limits cannot be treated as negligence, cannot be used to reduce damages, and cannot even be mentioned by counsel in a civil case over the crash. An injury claim against a teen driver has to be built on what happened on the road, which is exactly the kind of evidence our attorneys gather.
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What Parents Take On When They Sign
The parent’s role in Virginia drivers ed goes beyond paying the fee. Several of the signatures along the way carry legal weight.
The 45-Hour Certification Is a Sworn Statement
The DMV form for the practice log contains a warning that it is illegal to give false information and that anyone who certifies a false statement may be prosecuted. Signing off on 45 hours that never happened is not a paperwork shortcut. It is a false statement on a license application.
Supervising a Permit Driver Is an Active Duty
The law requires the adult in the passenger seat to be alert and able to assist. A parent scrolling on a phone while a 15-year-old merges onto I-64 is not meeting that standard, and a parent who fails to supervise a learner can face a negligence claim of their own if the teen causes a crash.
Parents Are Not Automatically Liable for a Teen’s Crash
Signing the license application does not make a parent responsible for every wreck. Virginia courts have refused to adopt the family purpose doctrine, which in some states makes the family car’s owner liable for any family member’s driving. Whether parents are liable when a child crashes a car titled in their name usually turns on negligent entrustment, meaning the parent handed the keys to a teen they knew or should have known was unsafe.
In practice, most claims against teen drivers are paid through the household’s auto policy. Virginia’s omnibus clause requires liability policies to cover anyone driving the insured vehicle with the owner’s express or implied permission. If you are the injured person, that policy is usually where recovery starts, and our team identifies every policy that might apply.
When a New Driver Causes the Crash
Most crashes involving newly licensed drivers happen at ordinary places: intersections, stop signs, left turns, and highway merges. If a teen or first-year driver hits you, the claim follows the same rules as any other Virginia car accident claim, with one serious hazard. Virginia’s contributory negligence rule can bar recovery if you are found even slightly at fault, and insurers defending young drivers lean on that rule hard.
Jen Mattingley, an associate attorney at Tronfeld West & Durrett who represents people hurt by other drivers, shares what she sees in these files:
“When a young driver runs a stop sign, the insurance company rarely argues the stop sign away. It argues about you. Were you speeding, were you looking at the intersection, could you have braked sooner? We answer those questions with the crash report, the vehicle damage, witness statements, and the physical layout of the intersection, so the claim is decided on what the other driver did.”
That pattern played out in a Chesterfield County case our firm resolved for a $460,000 settlement. A driver ran a stop sign on Spring Run Road and struck a 72-year-old man driving on Beach Road. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a hip fracture and dislocation, a concussion, and rib fractures. The defense claimed he was speeding, even though no evidence supported it.
Contact Tronfeld West & Durrett After a Crash With a New Driver
A crash with an inexperienced driver raises questions most families never expected to ask: whose insurance applies, whether the parents are involved, and how to answer a contributory negligence defense. Tronfeld West & Durrett has helped injured Virginians since 1972, and our local attorneys were born and raised here.
If you were hurt, contact us to schedule a free consultation. We handle injury claims on contingency, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.
FAQs About Drivers Ed in Virginia
Is driver’s ed mandatory in Virginia?
Yes, for anyone under 18. A minor cannot receive a Virginia license without completing an approved driver education course. Adults 18 and older can currently skip it by holding a permit for 60 days, but starting January 1, 2027, first-time applicants ages 18 to 20 must complete drivers ed as well.
How long does driver’s ed take in Virginia?
The classroom portion is 36 sessions of 50 minutes, about 30 hours in total, and the in-car portion adds 14 more 50-minute sessions. For a teen, the whole path to a license takes at least nine months because of the required permit holding period, and the 45 practice hours are logged during that time.
How much does driver’s ed cost in VA?
There is no single statewide price. Public school divisions may charge a per-pupil fee for behind-the-wheel training, may add a surcharge approved by the Board of Education, and can waive those charges for students who cannot pay. Licensed private schools set their own prices, and the DMV keeps a list of licensed driver training schools so families can compare options.
Can you skip the driver’s ed course if you’re 18 in VA?
Until December 31, 2026, yes, as long as the license is issued by then: an 18-year-old first-time applicant can hold a permit for 60 days and complete a behind-the-wheel checklist instead. After that date, applicants 18 to 20 must take drivers ed and hold a permit for 90 days, and only applicants 21 and older keep the option to skip the course.
What happens if a teen driver hits me?
You can bring a claim against the teen driver, which is typically paid by the auto policy covering the car. The deadline to file an injury lawsuit in Virginia is generally two years from the crash under Va. Code § 8.01-243, so evidence from the scene should be preserved early.
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