Teen

Behind The Wheel

California state law requires that each teen that desires to get his/her permit to take 6 hours of behind-the-wheel professional driver education in addition to 30 hours of professional classroom instruction.

The behind the wheel portion of our course must be taken at a DMV certified driving school. Upon completion of the course, the student driver will receive certification (OL 238) which will enable him/her for the actual behind the wheel drive test.

It should be mentioned that, as of July 1, 1998, the teen drivers’ license laws have been changed. The requirements are that, in addition to the six hours of driver education, fifty hours of behind the wheel experience are needed with a licensed driver (25 years of age and older). 10 of the 50 hours must be completed during the night. For the first six months after the license is received, the driver under 18 must be accompanied by an adult of at least 25 years of age if there are passengers under 20 in the car. Also, the driver must be accompanied by a licensed driver of at least 25 years when driving between the hours of 12 and 5 am for the first year.

License Requirements

To obtain a Minor’s Provisional License you must:

• Be at least 16 years old.
• Have held your instruction permit for at least 6 months.
• Prove you have completed driver education and driver training (DL 387, OL 388, DL 388A, OL 237 or OL 238).
• Provide a parent’s or guardian’s signature on your instruction permit verifying that you have completed 50 hours of driving practice (10 hours must be night driving). Refer to the Parent-Teen Training Guide, available at any DMV office.
• Call (510) 797-7779 during normal business hours to schedule a behind-the-wheel driving test.
• Pass the behind-the-wheel driving test.
  • If you fail, you must wait two weeks before taking the driving test again and pay a $5 retest fee for each subsequent driving test.

Minor’s Restriction Exceptions

Effective January 1, 2006, you must be accompanied and supervised by a licensed parent, guardian, other licensed driver 25 years of age or older, or a licensed or certified driving instructor when you:

• Transport passengers under 20 years of age at any time for the first twelve months.
• Drive between 11 PM and 5 AM for the first twelve months.

NOTE: Local laws may further restrict or prohibit driving during specified hours.

Links:

Teen Driver Fact Sheet