Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Graduated Licensing

Under California's standard provisional-license passenger restriction, passengers under what age require a parent, guardian, or California-licensed driver at least 25 years old in the vehicle?

  1. A.
    18
  2. B.
    20 Correct
  3. C.
    21
The Why

The answer is "20"

Under the standard provisional-license passenger restriction, you can't carry anyone under 20 unless a parent, guardian, or California-licensed driver at least 25 rides with you. The manual lists separate exceptions for medical, school, work, and immediate-family trips, each requiring a signed note. Picking C carries over the alcohol-purchase age of 21 as the default cutoff for any young-people rule, when the manual sets its passenger cap lower.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. 18

California's cap is under 20, so 18 falls two years below the manual's threshold. This answer substitutes the age at which the provisional restriction itself lifts (18) for the separate cap on the passengers you may carry (under 20).

C. 21

California's cap is under 20, so 21 overshoots the manual's threshold and would wrongly include 20-year-old passengers in the restricted group. This answer defaults to the alcohol-purchase age of 21 as the cutoff for any rule about young people, when California's provisional-license passenger cap is set lower at under 20.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Graduated Licensing in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Minor's Restrictions and Exceptions," p.4..

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