Got Your License in May? Here's Why the Next 90 Days Are Critical

Passing the road test in May feels like an ending. And in one sense it is! You've met the legal requirements, passed your exam, and now you have your license - you're done!

But in terms of driving experience, May licensure means you're about to begin your first summer as an independent driver while simultaneously being in your first months behind the wheel, the highest-risk period of your driving career.

Here's how to navigate that combination.

The first-months' risk

Research consistently shows that crash risk is highest in the weeks immediately after licensure and declines as experience accumulates through the first year. This is true for all new drivers, regardless of age or instruction quality. Experience is what reduces risk, and experience takes time.

For teens licensed in May, the first few months of independent driving, the highest-risk period, overlap almost exactly with the 100 Deadliest Days: Memorial Day through Labor Day. This isn't a coincidence in terms of timing for many families. It's the structural reality of the school-year calendar.

What spring instruction timing means

Completing extended professional behind-the-wheel instruction before summer begins — including deliberate highway driving, nighttime sessions, and passenger management scenarios — directly prepares new drivers for the specific conditions that can make summer driving dangerous. This is essential, targeted preparation for a known and predictable high-risk period.

If you're planning to take driving lessons next spring, consider asking about an extended package and using it before the summer driving season begins.

Suggested household rules for the first summer of driving

• No solo driving after 9 p.m.
• No more than one teen passenger for the first three months. (Many state already have restrictions on teen passengers in the first few months of holding a license!)
• No solo highway driving until at least one supervised highway session at speed has been completed.
• Seatbelts on for everyone before the engine starts. Every trip, no exceptions.

These aren't restrictions for the sake of restriction. They're the specific protections that research identifies as most effective during the period when risk is highest for new drivers.