Teen Drivers

Getting your driver license is an important milestone in your high school years. Hardly anybody can wait until he or she is able to drive to school and work, and take friends to parties. To come and go more freely is a rite of passage that every teen dreams of.

Yet with freedom comes responsibility, so North Carolina has a provisional license system for drivers under 18. This allows you to start learning to drive at age 14 and a half, and have plenty of experience behind the wheel before you have full driving privileges.

You can learn while you're being supervised, ask questions, and get lots of practice. As you gain more experience and maturity, you also gain better skills and more privileges. Driving a car may be your ticket to freedom and fun, but it is also a serious risk. Drivers under 18 have a much higher crash rate, so the provisional license system helps keep the roads safer for young drivers and everyone else on the road.

Getting a Learner's Permit

If you're under 18 and want to get a provisional license, you first have to pass an approved driver education course.

You'll receive a Driving Eligibility Certificate (from the public school system) to present when getting your Level One Limited Learner's Permit (or you can present a high school diploma or equivalent) to operate vehicles that require a Class C license. You can take some Practice Tests online to help prepare for the written test.

Your parent or guardian must sign for you when you apply for your permit. You will also have to show proof of residency as well as your Social Security card. Then you will have to pass written, sign, and vision tests.

For further details about getting your learner's permit, see Driver Education on this site.

Once you have your permit, the next step is to practice driving. You can drive with a supervising driver in the front seat (and no other passengers) from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Six months from receiving your Level One permit, you can drive anytime with your supervising driver.

Who Can Supervise?

In North Carolina, your supervising driver must be your parent, grandparent, guardian, or a responsible person approved by your parent or guardian. Supervising drivers must be at least 21, have a valid driver license, and must have been licensed for at least five years.

Level One is the time to learn the ins and outs of the road and drive under different conditions, while you have somebody there to teach you and prevent you from making dangerous mistakes. Then when you're on your own, you'll have more confidence in your abilities and will be a better, safer driver.

You might also choose to take part in optional driver training courses taught at driving schools and some high schools. This will give you even more knowledge to work with.

The Driving Test or "Road Test"

The next step is passing your road test. To be eligible, you must have your learner's permit for 12 months with no convictions of moving violations or seatbelt infractions within the preceding six months.

Once you meet these requirements, and are at least 16 years old but younger than 18, you can apply for your Level Two provisional license. Pass the driving test and receive your license, and you can drive without supervision from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and whenever you are driving to or from work or any volunteer fire, rescue or EMS opportunities.

Six months after you receive your license, if you have no convictions of moving violations or seat belt infractions within the previous six months, you can get your Level Three license, which gives you full, unsupervised driving privileges.

For Further Reading

This summary of the steps to take to get licensed is only the beginning. For more details, you should read the North Carolina Driver's Handbook online or visit your local driver license office to pick up a printed copy.

Get all the info on our related teen-driving pages: First-time Drivers, Practice Tests, Driver Education, and Drivers Training.