Licensing, insurance and the law
You are 17, got your provisional license eight months ago, and want to drive your 16-year-old friend home at 6 p.m. Is that allowed?
- Not unless your parent or guardian, or another California-licensed driver at least 25 years old, rides with you. Correct answer
- Yes; the passenger restriction only applies between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- Yes, as long as you carry a note signed by your friend's parents.
Why
A provisional license comes with restrictions. The hours from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. are closed to you for the first 12 months you hold the license. You also cannot carry passengers under 20 unless your parent or guardian, or another California-licensed driver who is at least 25, is in the car. The two rules are independent: the passenger limit applies at 6 p.m. just as it does at midnight. There are exceptions, but each requires a specific note: from a physician for a medical need, from the school for schooling or a school activity, from an employer for work, or from your own parent or guardian to drive an immediate family member. A note from your friend's parents is not on that list. Provisional drivers also may not drive for pay.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is Not unless your parent or guardian, or another California-licensed driver at least 25 years old, rides with you..