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.

First you'll 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 is 21 years of age or older who has at least one year of driving experience in the front passenger seat at all times. And you can only drive during daylight hours. And you can't drive other passengers. And you can't drive on limited access highways and freeways. And you can't drive a motorcycle. 

Man, Nevada's running a tight ship.

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.

Think you're cool because you're 16 and have your license? You still can't drive passengers under the age of 18 for the first six months unless they're in your immediate family. And until you turn 18, you're not allowed to drive between the hours of 10:00PM and 5:00AM unless you're driving to or from a scheduled event like work or a school function. So, no night-cruising for 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 an adult one? 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:

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. 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 you successfully avoided incurring a moving traffic violation within the last six months? 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, responsible adult driver aged 21 or older, or approved driver education program certified that you have had at least 50 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 Class C Nevada Driver's License.