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Safe driving information and laws

Graduated driver's license

Minnesota has a graduated driver’s license law, which creates a three-phase system for beginning drivers. The system allows beginning drivers to gain experience in less-risky situations before they are fully licensed. 

1

Learner's permit

The first phase is a learner’s permit, which allows teens to drive only while supervised by a fully licensed driver. 

2

Provisional license

The second phase — a provisional license — allows teens to drive unsupervised, but with limits on driving at night or with teenage passengers.

3

Standard driver's license

The third phase is a full standard license. 

Why is the graduated-driver's license important?

Teens are at greatest risk on the road due to factors such as inexperience, risk-taking behind the wheel, speeding and distracted driving. Teens also have the lowest seat belt use rate of all age groups.  

Learn more about what parents can do to keep teens safe. We offer checklists and other resources, as well as answers to frequently asked questions

More practice for teens 

To take the road test, teen drivers under 18 must spend at least 50 hours behind the wheel supervised by a parent or guardian, including 15 hours at night. If the parent or guardian completes the 90-minute parent awareness class, the number of supervised hours required is lowered to 40. 

The teen driver needs to log those hours using the supervised driving log. The hours start after the teen driver completes behind-the-wheel instruction and needs to be completed before testing for a provisional driver's license. The log includes the dates and times of each drive and needs to be signed by a parent or guardian.