Minors' Rights & Restrictions

Minors' Rights & Restrictions

You might be a finely responsible young man or woman, but statistics don't lie. You have too many minor brethren that make up the majority of motor vehicle crashes.

So, to protect everyone from your relatively high odds of crashing, we rein you in, especially during your teenage years.

You'll first get this piece of paper that says "Instruction Permit" on it. You're permitted to drive, but you have to have a licensed driver who's 21 years of age or older in the front passenger seat. At all times.

This bears repeating. You can't drive alone. Anywhere. This is huge. If a cop catches you driving alone with only an Instruction Permit, it's likely that you won't get your real license until you're at least 18.

And for the first six months of licensure, you still can't drive between the hours of midnight and 5:00AM without a parent or guardian in your passenger seat unless you're driving to or from work. You also can't drive more than one passenger under the age of 18 during those first six months unless that person is a sibling or you have a parent or guardian in the front passenger seat next to you.

The belief is that in this probationary time, you'll be extra super extra extra cautious. And if you're not, then you aren't ready to be inflicted on everyone else who has to use the same roads as you.

Already feeling antsy? Want to upgrade your Instruction Permit to a Graduated License? Let's play a little game to see if you're eligible.

Instruction Permit: Choose Your Own Adventure (As Long As It Sticks to State Rules)

Let's say you've had your Instruction Permit for a while now and want to upgrade to a Graduated License:

A. Are you 18 or older? If YES, go to B. If NO, go to C.
B. Congrats! Once you turn 18, you don't need that Instruction Permit anymore, and you can skip right over the Graduated License. Time to upgrade.
C. Have you had your Instruction Permit for six months? If YES, go to D. If NO, go to E.
D. Have your parents or legal guardians signed all applicable forms and applications? If YES, go to F. If NO, go to E.
E. Sorry kid, you're gonna have to wait a while.
F. Has a parent, legal guardian, or approved driver education course certified that you have had at least 30 hours of driving practice, of which at least ten were at night? If YES, go to G. If NO, go to E.
G. Have you passed a driving test? If YES, go to H. If NO, go to E.
H. Congrats! You're the proud owner of a shiny new Arizona Graduated Driver's License.