When your teenager turns 151/2 years of age they are eligible to take the provisional permit test at the Department of Motor Vehicles. After completing Driver Education they will need to bring their Driver Education Completion Certificate, birth certificate, and social security number to the DMV. The parent or guardian and student must also fill out a DL44 application form at the DMV office.

As soon as most young adolescents obtain the permit they will be anxious to drive the family car. But wait, your permit is NOT VALID until you begin driver training with a licensed driving instructor in a public or private high school, or in a state licensed professional driving school. Driver Training is the Calif. State required DMV course all teens under 171/2 must take in order to obtain their drivers license when they become 16 years of age. Students may register for Driver Training at: www.economicdrivingschool.com Economic Driving School instructors will pick the student up at school or home and return them at the conclusion of the lesson.

Each teen must complete their first lesson with a licensed driving instructor and have the instructor sign the permit to validate it. Once this takes place your teen must practice with a licensed California driver: parent, guardian, driving instructor, spouse, or an adult 25 years of age or older. The person must sit close enough to the driver to take control of the vehicle at any time. A provisional permit does not allow you to drive alone – not even to a DMV office to take a driving test.

Before taking the driving test at the DMV teens must be 16 years of age and have had a California instruction permit for at least six months. In addition, the parent or guardian must sign the permit verifying the student has completed 50 hours of supervised driving practice (10 hours must be night driving) as outlined in the California Parent-Teen Training Guide (DL603) Visit the Teen website at www.dmv.ca.gov/teenweb.