Utah's Teen Driving Laws: A 2025 Guide for Parents and New Drivers

For teenagers in Utah, getting a driver's license is a rite of passage symbolizing freedom and maturity. For their parents, it's a period of both excitement and significant concern. To help ensure this transition is as safe as possible, Utah has a Graduated Driver License (GDL) program. This system is not meant to be an obstacle; it's a proven method for reducing teen driver crashes by introducing privileges in stages as they gain critical experience.

Understanding these laws is essential for both teens and parents to ensure safety, avoid violations, and protect that newly earned license. Here is a clear guide to Utah's teen driving laws for 2025.

The Purpose of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. This is largely due to inexperience combined with high-risk factors, such as driving at night and being distracted by friends in the car. Utah's GDL program directly addresses these risks by placing common-sense limits on new drivers, allowing them to build skills in a safer, more controlled environment before granting full freedom.

The program consists of distinct stages, each with its own set of rules.

Stage 1: The Learner Permit (Age 15+)

This is the very first step, where all on-road driving practice begins. A teen must be at least 15 years old and enrolled in a driver education course to apply.

Key Permit Restrictions:

• Constant Supervision: A permit holder must always be accompanied by a licensed driving instructor, a licensed parent/guardian, or an approved licensed adult.
• Front Seat Only: The supervising driver must be seated in the front passenger seat at all times.

Stage 2: The Provisional License (Age 16+)

After holding a permit for at least six months, completing driver's education, logging practice hours, and passing the road test, a teen can earn a Provisional License. This is a major step, as it allows for unsupervised driving, but with critical safety restrictions in place.

The 40-Hour Driving Requirement

Before taking the road test, a teen's parent or guardian must sign a form certifying the completion of at least 40 hours of supervised driving practice.

• Night Driving: At least 10 of these 40 hours must be completed at night, after sunset. This is to ensure the new driver gains experience in lower-visibility conditions, a statistically more dangerous time to drive.

Provisional License Restriction 1: Driving Curfew

Nighttime driving is one of the highest-risk situations for new drivers. The GDL curfew addresses this directly.

• Curfew Hours: A provisional license holder may not drive between the hours of midnight (12 a.m.) and 5 a.m.
• Exceptions: This restriction does not apply if the teen is driving to or from work, a school-sponsored activity, a medical emergency, or if they are accompanied by a licensed adult over 21. For drivers on a farm, this exception also applies.

Provisional License Restriction 2: Passenger Limits

Research consistently shows that a teen driver's crash risk increases exponentially with each additional peer passenger in the vehicle. Utah's law is designed to minimize this distraction.

• The Rule: A driver with a provisional license may not transport any passengers who are not immediate family members for the first six months of holding the license.
• The Exception: The passenger limitation does not apply if the teen is accompanied by a licensed adult (21+) or a licensed driving instructor.

Provisional License Restriction 3: Cell Phones

• Zero Tolerance: It is illegal for a teen with a provisional license to use a handheld cell phone or to text while driving.

Consequences for Violations

Violating any of these GDL restrictions can have serious consequences.

• Fines and Penalties: Violations can result in tickets and fines.
• Delayed Full License: A conviction for a moving violation can delay a teen's ability to graduate to a full, unrestricted license.
• Point Accumulation: Utah has a strict point system for young drivers. Accumulating 70 or more points can lead to a license suspension.

The Final Step: The Full, Unrestricted License

At age 18, a driver's provisional license automatically becomes a full, unrestricted license, and all GDL provisions are removed. A driver who is 17 may also have restrictions lifted if they have held their provisional license for at least six months and have maintained a clean driving record.

By working together, parents and teens can navigate the GDL process, ensuring the new driver builds the safe habits needed for a lifetime behind the wheel.