Virginia's Teen Driving Laws: A 2025 Guide for Parents and Provisional Drivers

For teenagers in Virginia, 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, Virginia has a Graduated Driver's 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 Virginia'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. Virginia'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's Permit (Age 15 years, 6 months+)

This is the very first step, where all on-road driving practice begins. A teen must be at least 15 years and 6 months old and have completed the classroom portion of driver's ed to apply.

Key Permit Restrictions:

Constant Supervision: A permit holder must always be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21, or a licensed parent, guardian, or sibling who is at least 18.
Front Seat Only: The supervising driver must be seated in the front passenger seat at all times.
Passenger Limit: A permit holder may have no more than one passenger under the age of 21.
Cell Phone Ban: It is illegal for a permit holder to use any wireless communication device, including hands-free systems, while driving.

The 45-Hour Driving Requirement

Before taking the road test, a teen's parent or guardian must sign a form certifying the completion of at least 45 hours of supervised driving practice.

Night Driving: At least 15 of these 45 hours must be completed after sunset. This is to ensure the new driver gains experience in lower-visibility conditions, a statistically more dangerous time to drive.

Stage 2: The Provisional License (Age 16 years, 3 months+)

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

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 is prohibited from driving between the hours of midnight (12 a.m.) and 4 a.m.
Exceptions: The curfew does not apply if the teen is driving to or from work, a school-sponsored activity, in response to an emergency call as a volunteer firefighter or rescue squad member, or in case of a personal emergency.

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.

For the First Year: A provisional driver may not transport more than ONE passenger under the age of 21 who is not a member of their immediate family.
After the First Year: Once the driver has held their provisional license for one year, they may transport up to THREE passengers under the age of 21 who are not family members. This applies when driving to or from a school activity, or if a licensed adult is in the front seat.

Provisional License Restriction 3: Cell Phones

Zero Tolerance: The ban on using any wireless communication device (handheld or hands-free) continues through the entire provisional license phase. This is a primary offense, meaning an officer can pull a teen over just for this violation.

Consequences for Violations

Violating any of these GDL restrictions can have serious consequences.

Fines and Penalties: Violations can result in tickets and demerit points.
License Suspension: For some offenses, a conviction can lead to a license suspension.
Mandatory Driver Improvement Clinic: A teen who receives a demerit-point violation may be required to attend a driver improvement clinic.

The Final Step: The Full, Unrestricted License

At age 18, a driver's provisional license automatically converts to a full, unrestricted license, and all GDL provisions are removed.

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.