Before a newly licensed teen takes the first solo drive, put the rules in writing and separate two things: what the law requires and what your family requires. The stricter rule applies. A parent can set a shorter driving radius, an earlier return time, or a no-passenger period, but a family agreement cannot loosen a state restriction.
That distinction matters because there is no single national list of rules for a newly licensed teen driver. The credential may be called provisional, intermediate, junior, restricted, or Class D, and the remaining limits can depend on age, time since issuance, passengers, location, and the reason for the trip. Passing the road test is not the same as receiving an unrestricted license. If that distinction is unclear, start with what changes after the permit stage.
Write the state rule before adding the house rule
Use the teen’s actual credential and the current page from the state licensing agency. Record the source and the date you checked it. Do not copy a friend’s curfew or rely on what an older sibling was allowed to do.
Current official rules show why. California’s first-year provisional restrictions for drivers under 18 generally prohibit driving from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and carrying passengers under 20 without a qualifying adult, subject to documented exceptions. Texas restricts provisional drivers under 18 from carrying more than one nonfamily passenger under 21, driving from midnight to 5 a.m. except for stated purposes, and using a phone even hands-free except in an emergency. Washington uses different passenger phases, a 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. nighttime restriction, and its own wireless-device rule. New York’s junior-license privileges can even change by region.
Those are examples, not a substitute for your state’s current instructions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration describes the general graduated-licensing structure, but the state decides the controlling details.
| Topic | State requirement | Family rule | When it will be reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Copy the exact age, relationship, number, and time-since-licensure rule | Example: no peer passengers during the first three months | Review date and evidence needed |
| Night driving | Copy the prohibited hours and official exceptions | Example: home by 9:30 p.m., even when the law allows later driving | Review date and conditions |
| Phone and navigation | Copy the rule for handheld, hands-free, and emergency use | Phone stored before moving; destination entered while parked | Review after consistent compliance |
| Trips and roads | Note any geographic or purpose restriction | Approved area, destinations, roads, weather, and maximum trip length | Expand one condition at a time |
The CDC’s current Parent-Teen Driving Agreement recommends writing expectations and consequences down, keeping the agreement visible, and updating it as experience and privileges grow. Its teen-driving danger-zone guidance also distinguishes safety recommendations from legal minimums—for example, beginning with no teen or young-adult passengers and an earlier household nighttime limit.
Use an agreement that can answer a real request for the keys
A useful agreement is specific enough that the teen can decide whether a trip is allowed without negotiating each detail at the door. Fill in the blanks together:
License and vehicle: My current credential is __________. We verified its restrictions at __________ on __________. I may drive vehicle(s) __________ after the owner and insurer confirm permission and coverage.
Passengers: State rule: __________. Family rule: __________. Before leaving, I will name every passenger and will not add passengers without approval.
Time and trip: State rule: __________. Family return time: __________. Approved destinations or area: __________. I will ask before changing the destination.
Phone and navigation: State rule: __________. The phone will be __________ before the car moves. Navigation will be entered while parked. If directions fail, I will pull over safely rather than handle the phone while moving.
Conditions: I may drive in __________ weather, on __________ roads, and for trips up to __________. If visibility, fatigue, traffic, or vehicle condition is outside that limit, I will not start—or I will stop somewhere safe and call.
Check-in: Before leaving I will share destination, route or general area, passengers, vehicle, and expected return time. If the plan changes, I will contact __________ after parking safely.
Emergency promise: I can call for a safe ride because I am tired, impaired, frightened, stranded, or pressured by passengers. Immediate safety comes first; the family will discuss the decision after everyone is safe.
Review: We will review this agreement on __________. A privilege expands only after __________. A rule violation leads to __________ and a specific return-to-driving plan.
Insurance belongs in the pre-drive check, not in the punishment section. A license does not automatically update a household policy. Contact the insurer when the teen becomes licensed and get the answer in writing; the earlier RouteOS teen-driver insurance checklist shows which questions to ask.
Use consequences that explain how driving privileges return
“Lose the car until we say otherwise” invites a later argument. Match the response to the problem and define the repair.
An unsafe act—speeding, driving impaired, hiding a passenger, or handling a phone—can justify an immediate pause in solo driving followed by supervised practice and a new review date. A communication error, such as forgetting a check-in while otherwise following the trip plan, may call for a shorter pause and a better reminder. State violations may also trigger official penalties that the family cannot replace or negotiate away.
Write the path back at the same time as the consequence: a stated number of supervised drives, a review of the relevant rule, demonstrated phone storage, or a calm drive on the same type of route. This keeps the agreement centered on safety and earned responsibility instead of shame.
Expand one privilege at a time
Do not loosen the passenger rule, nighttime limit, road type, distance, and weather boundary all at once. Review actual trips and near misses, then change one condition. A teen who is steady on familiar daytime routes may be ready for a longer destination but not a car full of friends at night.
If several adults share the car or coaching role, give each person the same agreement and use the same safety language. The RouteOS guide to agreeing on driving cues can prevent one adult from quietly changing the rules another adult is enforcing.
The agreement is finished when both the teen and parent can answer the same trip request the same way: Is it legal? Is it within the household limit? Is the driver, vehicle, route, and condition ready? If any answer is unclear, settle it before the keys change hands.
Official guidance and state examples were reviewed August 23, 2026. Recheck the teen’s state licensing page whenever the credential, age, time-since-licensure, residence, or law changes.