New Jersey Driver Manual: GDL, Traffic Law, and Safety
This section covers New Jersey Driver Manual content tested on the NJ permit exam: the GDL ladder, core traffic law, and safety rules. Questions often give a scenario-a probationary driver, a BAC reading, a school bus, or a right turn on red-and ask which action is legal or safest.
GDL and probationary limits
Learner’s permit at 16; hold at least six months with 50 supervised hours, 10 at night. Permit driving requires a licensed supervisor age 21 or older; the permit curfew also applies. Probationary license: red decals; no more than one passenger unless a parent/guardian is present (dependents excluded); curfew 11:01 p.m.–5:00 a.m.; no cell phone use, even hands-free, except emergencies.
Core rules
DWI: 0.08% adult, 0.01% under 21, 0.04% commercial; refusal carries implied-consent penalties. Hand-held phones and texting are banned for all drivers. Seat belts required; children under 8 and under 57 inches need an approved restraint in the rear. Right on red: full stop and yield unless posted. Stop for school-bus red lights; move over or slow for emergency vehicles. At crosswalks, stop for pedestrians; entering a traffic circle, yield to traffic already circulating. Default limits: 25 school, 35 business/residential, 50 rural, 65 max; use a three-second gap.
Worked example
A 17-year-old probationary driver is stopped at 11:30 p.m. with two friends and a phone in hand. Violations: curfew (11:01 p.m.–5:00 a.m.); more than one non-dependent passenger without a parent/guardian; and any phone use by a probationary driver. Time, passenger count, and device use each independently establish a violation. Each fact matches a separate restriction; fixing one does not cure the others.
Traps
Hands-free is not allowed for probationary drivers. The under-21 DWI threshold is 0.01%, not 0.08%. Right on red requires a complete stop and yield, not a rolling check. School-bus red lights mean stop, not slow down. A permit is not valid for solo driving; the 50 hours are supervised behind-the-wheel time, not classroom hours.