Michigan Segment 2 Requirements for Teen Drivers

Michigan Segment 2 requirements for teen drivers break down into three parts: what you need before you enroll, what the course itself demands, and what still has to happen before you can test for your Level 2 license. The classroom portion is at least six hours of instruction on high-risk driving topics, and you can start it once you’ve held your Level 1 license long enough to log 30 hours of supervised practice. But finishing Segment 2 is not the finish line. To move up to Level 2, you’ll need six total months on Level 1, 50 supervised hours, a clean 90-day driving record, and a passing score on the road skills test.¹

What You Need Before Enrolling

Two things gate your entry into Segment 2: time on your Level 1 license and documented supervised driving. Michigan’s official curriculum guide requires at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, with a minimum of two hours at night, before the course is offered.² A licensed parent, legal guardian, or another licensed driver who is at least 21 and has your parent’s permission must supervise every one of those hours.

Most providers also require that you’ve held your Level 1 license for at least three months before they’ll enroll you. That window is just the minimum to start the classroom work. Under MCL 257.310e you still have to hold Level 1 for a full six months before you can apply for Level 2, so starting Segment 2 at month three leaves room for the remaining practice hours and the road test afterward.¹

One detail catches a lot of families off guard. The statute requires a clean record for the 90 days immediately before your Level 2 application. A moving violation, suspension, or at-fault crash at month four can push your Level 2 date back until three violation-free months have passed.¹

What the Course Covers and How to Pass

Segment 2 is not a review of Segment 1. The focus shifts to the behavioral and judgment-related causes of crashes, with seven modules covering at least six hours of classroom instruction. Providers typically run it across three days at two hours per session.²

Risk awareness and crash patterns among teen drivers
Alcohol and driving, including BAC factors and Michigan’s laws for minors
Drug-impaired driving, covering prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs
Distracted driving
Drowsy driving and emotional states like road rage
Michigan’s organ donor registry

The course ends with a written exam on Michigan traffic laws and the safety material from each module. You need at least 70% to pass and receive your completion certificate.³ If you fail, your provider will explain their retest policy, but no certificate is issued until you pass.

Attendance matters. Because the course runs over multiple sessions, confirm you can be at every one before enrolling. Missing a day usually means restarting with a different class rather than making up the missed hours.

Keeping a Driving Log

You’ll present a supervised driving log at two points: when you enroll in Segment 2, showing the first 30 hours, and when you take the road skills test, showing 50 total hours. Each entry needs the date, the length of the session, and whether it was day or night driving, and your supervising adult has to sign to certify the hours.⁴

The Secretary of State endorses the RoadReady mobile app, which you can show on your phone or print. A paper log works just as well as long as it has the required details and signatures.⁵

Choosing a Certified Provider

Segment 2 only counts if it’s taken through a provider certified by the Michigan Department of State. You can search certified providers, locations, and instructors through the Department of State’s online e-Services portal under “Driver Education and Testing Business.”⁶ A certificate from a non-certified program will not be accepted for your road test or your Level 2 application, so verify certification before paying.

When you register, bring your Level 1 license, your 30-hour driving log, and payment. Tuition generally runs $50 to $100. Most providers require a parent or guardian to sign a registration contract covering the schedule, attendance rules, and any make-up policy.

What You Still Need for Level 2

The Segment 2 certificate is one piece of the Level 2 application. All of the following must also be true before you can test:¹

Six months on your Level 1 license, counted from the issue date, not from when you started Segment 2
50 total supervised hours, with at least 10 at night; the 30 hours logged before Segment 2 count toward this total, leaving roughly 20 more to complete afterward
No moving violations, civil infractions, license suspensions, or at-fault crashes in the 90 days before you apply
A passing score on the road skills test, which is given by a Secretary of State-approved driver testing business, not by your Segment 2 provider

Bring your Level 1 license, your Segment 2 completion certificate, and your 50-hour driving log to the road test. A parent or guardian must come along and sign the certification statement on the score sheet.⁴ Road test fees are set by the testing business, so call ahead about costs, retest fees, and cancellation policies.

One deadline to watch: your Segment 2 certificate expires on your 18th birthday. If you haven’t passed the road test by then, the graduated licensing track no longer applies and you’d follow the adult licensing path, which has its own separate requirements.

What You Can and Can’t Do on a Level 2 License

Passing the road test gets you unsupervised driving for the first time, but with two restrictions:⁷

No driving between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless you’re going to or from work or an authorized activity like a school event or sports league, or you have a parent, guardian, or designated licensed adult 21 or older in the car
No more than one passenger under 21, unless the extras are immediate family, you’re driving to or from work or an authorized activity, or a qualifying adult is with you

These restrictions last until you qualify for Level 3 at 17, which requires 12 consecutive months with no moving violations or at-fault crashes.¹ A curfew or passenger-limit violation can reset that 12-month clock, so clean driving on Level 2 is what moves you forward fastest.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.310e – Graduated Licensing
2
Michigan Department of State. Driver Education Curriculum Guide
3
Michigan Department of State. New Drivers Under 18
4
Michigan Department of State. Driving Skills Test Study Guide
5
Michigan.gov. Michigan Supervised Driving Log
6
Michigan Department of State. Driver Education Providers and Instructors
7
Michigan Department of State. Drivers Under 18