North Carolina has a new safety requirement for teen drivers. Starting December 1, 2025, the Highway Work Zone Driver Training Course will be part of Driver Education for students under 18. Put simply: if your teen starts Driver Ed on or after Dec. 1, 2025, they will need to complete this work zone training as part of finishing Driver Ed.
The goal is to reduce serious crashes in highway work zones. These areas can be tough for new drivers because lanes may narrow or shift, speeds change, and traffic can stop suddenly. NCDOT has reported thousands of work-zone crashes across the state and points to speeding and distraction as major causes.
For families, the most important detail is the start date. This requirement applies only to students who begin Driver Education on or after December 1, 2025. If your teen is enrolling soon, check the program’s start date so you know whether the work zone course is required.
This training focuses on real-world habits that keep drivers safe in work zones. Teens learn to slow down earlier, watch for signs and flaggers, follow merge patterns, and leave more space between cars. These aren’t just “test day” skills. A work zone is one of the easiest places for a new driver to feel rushed, so the safest approach is calm, steady, and predictable driving.
It also helps to know that work-zone mistakes can be expensive. NCDOT notes that speeding through a properly signed work zone can add an extra $250 penalty, on top of the normal speeding consequences. That’s another reason we teach teens to treat work zones as a “slow down and focus” area every time.
At Charlotte Driving Academy, we’ll guide families through this new requirement and help students build the habits that matter most. We’ll explain who the rule applies to, reinforce work-zone fundamentals during instruction, and keep the focus on what matters—safe teen drivers who protect themselves, their passengers, and the workers just feet from traffic.
Training links / official resources
- Online training (virtual option): https://work-zone-safe.teachable.com/
- NC agency overview of the new requirement: NCDOT / NCDMV information page
