{"id":7914,"date":"2026-01-21T14:26:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/?p=7914"},"modified":"2026-01-21T14:26:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:26:05","slug":"understanding-vanessas-law-for-teen-drivers-in-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/21\/understanding-vanessas-law-for-teen-drivers-in-minnesota\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Vanessa\u2019s Law for Teen Drivers in Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Minnesota teen drivers who are convicted of an impaired driving crime or crash-related moving violation are subject to a penalty that would bar them from driving until they are at least 18 years old. This penalty is due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/169A.55\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vanessa\u2019s Law<\/a>. If you or your child are at risk of losing driving privileges because of Vanessa\u2019s Law, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/attorneys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attorney<\/a> can help you secure the best possible outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Is Vanessa\u2019s Law in Minnesota?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanessa\u2019s Law is a Minnesota statute that restricts driving privileges for teens convicted of an impaired driving crime or crash-related moving violation. Teens penalized under Vanessa\u2019s Law cannot obtain a driver\u2019s license until they are at least 18. There are slight differences in how the law applies to unlicensed teens versus teens with provisional licenses, which we\u2019ll explain below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanessa\u2019s Law was passed in May of 2004, one year after Vanessa Weiss was killed just days before turning 16. Vanessa was a passenger in a vehicle driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old. Vanessa\u2019s Law was named in her memory and aims to protect people from injuries and fatal accidents caused by teen drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How Vanessa\u2019s Law Applies to Unlicensed Teens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlicensed teens convicted of a crash-related moving violation or alcohol\/controlled substance violation cannot receive a license, provisional license, or instruction permit until they are 18 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Offenses related to alcohol and controlled substances include violations of the following statutes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/169A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Driving while Impaired<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/169A.51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Implied Consent<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/169A.35\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Open Bottle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.revisor.mn.gov\/statutes\/cite\/169A.33\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Underage Drinking and Driving<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>After they turn 18, the individual must complete the following steps to receive a license:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Meet the reinstatement requirements listed on their withdrawal notice<\/li><li>Pass the written test for a Class D driver\u2019s license<\/li><li>Apply for a Minnesota instruction permit<\/li><li>Hold their instruction permit for at least six months (three months if age 19 or older)<\/li><li>Take and pass the road test<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2>How Vanessa\u2019s Law Applies to Teens with Provisional Licenses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Teens whose driving privileges are revoked due to a crash-related moving violation or alcohol\/controlled substance violation cannot regain a license until they are 18 years old or their withdrawal period has ended, whichever is longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once those requirements are met, the individual typically must complete the following steps to receive a license (requirements for reinstatement may vary depending on the individual\u2019s case):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Pass the written test for a Class D driver\u2019s license<\/li><li>Pay the $680 reinstatement fee<\/li><li>Complete an in-person, 30-hour classroom driver education course<\/li><li>Apply for a Minnesota instruction permit<\/li><li>Hold their instruction permit for 90 days, during which they must complete six hours of behind-the-wheel driver education<\/li><li>Apply for a driver\u2019s license<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2>Contact Our Criminal Defense Attorneys for Assistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The possibility of losing your driving privileges can be frightening, but you do have rights and options. At Barna, Guzy &amp; Steffen, we have attorneys experienced in both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/individual-law\/criminal-defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criminal defense<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/individual-law\/dui-dwi-defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DUI\/DWI defense<\/a>. These attorneys will work to understand all facets of your case and devote themselves to achieving the best possible outcome. The sooner you contact an attorney, the better they will be able to protect your rights and interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Contact us today to schedule a consultation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minnesota teen drivers who are convicted of an impaired driving crime or crash-related moving violation are subject to a penalty that would bar them from driving until they are at least 18 years old. This penalty is due to Vanessa\u2019s Law. If you or your child are at risk of losing driving privileges because of Vanessa\u2019s Law, an attorney can help you secure the best possible outcome. What Is Vanessa\u2019s Law in Minnesota? Vanessa\u2019s Law is a Minnesota statute that restricts driving privileges for teens convicted of an impaired driving crime or crash-related moving violation. Teens penalized under Vanessa\u2019s Law cannot obtain a driver\u2019s license until they are at least 18. There are slight differences in how the law applies to unlicensed teens versus teens with provisional licenses, which we\u2019ll explain below. Vanessa\u2019s Law was passed in May of 2004, one year after Vanessa Weiss was killed just days before turning 16. Vanessa was a passenger in a vehicle driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old. Vanessa\u2019s Law was named in her memory and aims to protect people from injuries and fatal accidents caused by teen drivers. How Vanessa\u2019s Law Applies to Unlicensed Teens Unlicensed teens convicted of a crash-related moving violation or alcohol\/controlled substance violation cannot receive a license, provisional license, or instruction permit&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13,31,20],"tags":[231,258,259,257],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7914"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7914"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7918,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7914\/revisions\/7918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}