California Teen Drivers FAQ

Are all teenagers required to take California Driver Education?

Students may begin their driver education at age 15.5 and must complete at least 50 hours of education and behind-the-wheel training at a teen driving school before they are eligible to take the authorized Department of Motor Vehicles road test.

Are all drivers required to take California Driver Education?

Beginning at age 17.5, eligible applicants can obtain a learner’s permit without driver education. All persons over the age of 18 can apply for a California driver’s license without any formal education, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements and pass all required tests.

Which is Better? Online Driver Education or Classroom?

Online driver education at an Irvine driving school, for example, offers students a chance to learn at their own pace. Since the course materials can be taken with students, it is often possible to combine classroom knowledge with practical driving skill development. Online courses are also often less expensive than in-person classroom instruction.

Are Online Driver Education Courses Approved?

Yes. The Department of Motor Vehicles authorizes California driving schools to offer both classroom and online education options for eligible students in addition to practical driving skills instruction.

How Do I Prove I Passed?

Every authorized driver education course offers students a Department of Motor Vehicles approved certificate of completion. This certificate can be used in combination with other documents to demonstrate eligibility for both a provisional permit and license.

What Does a Permit Authorize?

Teenage drivers who have a learner’s permit may operate a motor vehicle provided there is a licensed driver over the age of 25 in the vehicle and seated in the passenger seat. The adult driver must be able to take control of the vehicle in the event of an emergency.

What Does a Provisional License Authorize?

Teenage drivers with a provisional license are allowed to operate a motor vehicle alone, but must abide by a number of additional restrictions. They may not:

• Drive with passengers under the age of 20. 
• Drive between the hours of 11PM and 5AM. 
• Use mobile communications devices while driving, even if those devices have hands-free features.

What Do I Need to Get my Permit?

You must have a certificate of completion of a Department of Motor Vehicles-authorized driver education and driver training program. It is not possible to obtain a permit in California by submitting a permit from another state.

What Do I Need to Get my License?

In California, it is only possible to obtain an unrestricted driver’s license after the age of 18. Although drivers who are 17.5 years of age or older may complete the permit and provisional license process without taking a formal driver education course, they must hold their permit or license for six months before they can apply for a full unrestricted license.

How Long Does Driver Education Take?

Because online courses can be completed on an as-available basis, there is no specific schedule requirement. It is necessary to complete 50 hours of training and driver education to obtain a Department of Motor Vehicles certificate.

California Rules for Teenage Drivers

There are certain rules and laws in California put in place to focus on the safety of drivers. You’ll learn these rules at Orange County driving school, so it’s important to listen in your classes. All drivers must follow these rules, but there are certain rules focused on just teenage drivers. Because they are inexperienced, these rules are to ensure safety not just of the teen driver, but of the other drivers on the road.

Here are the California Rules for Teenage Drivers.

If you’re under 18:

The laws for teens driving under the age of 18 are different from the laws for adults. Once you turn 18, these restrictions and laws no longer apply to you in the eyes of the state of California.

The First Years

During the first year of holding your license, your are considered inexperienced as a driver and will need to follow these two restrictions:

Time Restriction/Curfew

As an inexperienced driver, you cannot drive between 11pm and 5am. This is for the safety of everyone on the road because tired driving can lead to accidents, so it’s important that you know how to be safe. Driving at night can also carry problems of its own with low vision.

Passenger Restriction

During your first year of driving, you cannot carry passengers who are younger than 20. This is because teens tend to be less safe than adults in vehicles. They may not have had their driving lessons yet and may not understand or care about the safety aspects and responsibility that comes along with driving.

The Exceptions

There are exceptions to these rules that can help you prevent legal issues and improve safety. If you are accompanied by a California licensed driver who is at least 25, you can drive after curfew and with passengers under 20.

Driving After Curfew

You can also drive after curfew without a licensed adult if you have the following signed documentation:

1. For traveling to or from a school-related activity.
2. Driving between the curfew hours is required for work.
3. You have no alternative transportation options available and have a medical reason for driving past curfew.

Avoiding Penalties

In order to avoid penalties, you should never violate these teen driving laws. Here are the penalties you’d face for violations:

Restricted License for 30 days if you receive two points for violations within a year.

Suspended License if you receive more than three points on your license. You can also receive a year of probation.

Other Laws to Follow

While you need to follow those laws, California also has laws in place for teen drivers to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.

Electronic Devices: The use of electronic devices is illegal for teens, even if these devices are hands-free.

Zero Tolerance: As a zero-tolerance state, California law states that if an underage driver has a BAC of .01% or higher, their license will be suspended for a full year.

As a teen driver, your freedom is important to you, so following these rules and laws will make sure you stay safe and keep your license. You don’t want to have paid and gone through extensive learning at yourdriving school in Orange County just to lose your license for not following simple rules.

Learn the rules for teenage drivers by starting a driver’s education course today.

When Should My Teen Driver Get Auto Insurance?

We understand that being the parent of a teen driver can be stressful. You worry about if they are driving safely, following the laws, and staying off of their cell phone. Something else you may worry about is auto insurance. Below we will go over some things you will want to take into consideration when getting your teen set up with auto insurance.

Teen Driving Laws

Teens are able to get their provisional permit at 15 ½ and must hold that permit for 6 months before they are eligible to get a driver’s license. During that 6 months, they are required to complete 6 hours of behind the wheel training with a driving school as well as 50 hours of practice at home with a parent or guardian 25 years or older. So the questions that many parents have is: when in this process should my teen driver get auto insurance?

The Transition from Permit to License

Some insurance companies will cover a teen driver on their supervising driver’s (i.e parents) policy while they have a provisional permit without officially adding them to the policy. So what does that mean if your teen is in a accident? The vehicle owner’s policy will extend to cover the teen and they will most likely be added onto the insurance at the time of the accident.

Keep in mind, that is not the case with every insurance carrier. Some insurance carriers want the teen to be added as soon as they receive their permit. The best thing to do is to contact your specific provider for exact details. And don’t wait to do this – contact them even before your teen gets their permit to ensure that your family is fully covered.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure a Teen Driver in California?

Determining the exact cost is extremely difficult to do without speaking to your specific insurance agent. But keep in mind that you have two options when it comes to getting your teen covered. You can either add them to your existing policy or you can sign them up for their own. It will be much more cost effective (up to 30% cheaper!) to add them to your existing policy for several reasons.

Teens are considered high risk to insure. This is because they have no driving history to prove that they are a good driver. Most teens will be considered ‘new drivers’ for up to 3 years and at that point you may see a decrease in the policy rates. In general, though, 25 is the age where you will see a significant decrease in your insurance rates.

Your insurance may already include discounts for bundling auto, home, renters, life, etc. Setting up a brand new separate policy for your teen will cut out these bundle discounts.

Helpful Ways to Cut Costs

• Wait to get them their own car. Adding your teen driver to your existing insurance policy will increase your monthly rate – but adding your teen plus another vehicle will significantly increase your monthly rate.
• Ask about the Good Student Discount. The exact qualifications differ from carrier to carrier, but in general a 3.0 GPA could qualify your student for a Good Student Discount which could reduce your rates.
• Provide proof of completion of Driver Education. Some insurance carriers will add a discount when you provide a copy of the students driver education completion certificate. Contact the Irvine driving school that your teen attended to get a copy to provide to your insurance agent.

Do Not Avoid Getting Your Teen Auto Insurance

Ultimately, it is required that your teen be insured while driving. Attempting to conceal your teen driver for a limited amount of time to try to save on auto insurance can end up costing you. Can you imagine paying your auto insurance for years just to have your teen driver get into an accident and not be covered? Also, keep in mind that auto insurance companies can run a yearly CLUE report on your household when it comes time to renew your policy. They will be able to see that you have a newly licensed driver and ask that you add them to your policy in order to renew.

So, When Should Teens Get Auto Insurance?

The best advice: contact your insurance agent when you and your teen start thinking about beginning the process of getting them licensed. Your insurance agent will be able to go over with you the specifics of your account,tell you what type of rate you can expect, and when exactly they require the teen to be added onto the policy. Most importantly, make sure that your teen keeps up a clean driving record. Ensuring that your teen is a safe driver and keeps a clean driving record will help to reduce any additional auto insurance costs.

Wet Weather Driving Tips for Teens

Orange County provides beautiful living conditions for most of the year. Although, we can experience some unfamiliar weather conditions during the Fall and Winter months which can be dangerous – especially for new drivers.

Here are some driving safety tips for new drivers traveling on wet roads:

• Before you get on the road, make sure that your vehicle is safe. Your tire pressure can be affected by changes in temperature. Make sure that your tires, brakes, and windshield wipers are in good working condition before you head out onto the road.

• Turn on your headlights. It is required by California law that you use your headlights if you cannot clearly see a distance of 1,000 feet in front of you. Additionally, the law requires that you must use your headlights if weather conditions require the windshield wipers to be in continuous use. 
  • Refer to: California Vehicle Code – 24400 for more information.

• • Slow Down. Give yourself extra time. On rainy days make sure to allot some extra travel time to your schedule. For maintaining speed in the rain, our instructors recommend the ‘1 to 4 Rule’. For example, if the speed limit is 45, you should travel 1 to 4 miles below the speed limit – 40 to 44 mph. This ensures that you never go to slow (categorized as 6 to 10 mph below the speed limit) and never too fast (which is 1+ mph over the speed limit). Granted, you will always want to maintain the speed of traffic. If the speed limit is 45 but traffic is heavy and all of the vehicles around you are only able to travel at 33 mph you should maintain the speed of traffic.

• • Keep your distance. Keep at least 3 car lengths (or 100 ft) in between you and the vehicle in front of you. The wet roads require more stopping distance. There is less friction between the surface of the road and your tires when the road is wet. Slowing down, keeping your distance, and using the 1 to 4 Rule are all important tips to use when driving in rain.

• • Stay away from large vehicles. Vehicles like large trucks and busses will throw water with their larger tires which can affect your visibility.

• Scan the road. Watch the road 10 to 15 seconds in front of you. Take note of the traffic light ahead of you. What color is the light? The color of the light should dictate your next move: continue maintaining your speed, use the brake, hover your foot over the brake – all of these potential next moves are dictated by what is going on 10 to 15 seconds in front of your vehicle.

Using these tips in addition to all of your normal safe driving habits can highly reduce the risk of losing control of your vehicle in unfamiliar weather conditions. Remember, the Department of Motor Vehicles requires that teens complete driver training before they are eligible to get their driver license. I Passed Driving School offers online driver education and behind the wheel training to assist in getting your young driver safely and confidently onto the road. You can find out more information on our behind the wheel training under our Information tab.