(a) Any minor under the age of 18 years, but 13 years of age or older, who is an habitual truant within the meaning of Section 48262 of the Education Code, or who is adjudged by the juvenile court to be a ward of the court under subdivision (b) of Section 601 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, may have his or her driving privilege suspended for one year by the court. If the minor does not yet have the privilege to drive, the court may order the department to delay issuing the privilege to drive for one year subsequent to the time the person becomes legally eligible to drive. However, if there is no further truancy in the 12-month period, the court, upon petition of the person affected, may modify the order imposing the delay of the driving privilege. For each successive time the minor is found to be an habitual truant, the court may suspend the minor’s driving privilege for a minor possessing a driver’s license, or delay the eligibility for the driving privilege for those not in possession of a driver’s license, for one additional year.
(b) Whenever the juvenile court suspends a minor’s driving privilege pursuant to subdivision (a), the court may require all driver’s licenses held by the minor to be surrendered to the court. The court shall, within 10 days following the surrender of the license, transmit a certified abstract of the findings, together with any driver’s licenses surrendered, to the department.
(c) When the juvenile court is considering suspending or delaying a minor’s driving privilege pursuant to subdivision (a), the court shall consider whether a personal or family hardship exists that requires the minor to have a driver’s license for his or her own, or a member of his or her family’s, employment or for medically related purposes.
(d) The suspension, restriction, or delay of a minor’s driving privilege pursuant to this section shall be in addition to any other penalty imposed by law on the minor.
(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1023, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1995.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018