You might be a finely responsible young man or woman, but statistics don't lie. You have too many minor brethren that make up the majority of motor vehicle crashes.

So, to protect everyone from your relatively high odds of crashing, we rein you in, especially during your teenage years.

But you just want those keys in your hot little hands, right? Here's the rundown on how and when you're eligible to drive:

Driver Education Permit

Age: 15 to 15 ½

Valid: For three years

Requirements: You must have completed the classroom portion of a state-approved driver education course within six months prior to application. You also must turn in a signed Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship.

Restrictions: You may only drive with a driving instructor until 15 ½, after which you may only drive with the parent/guardian who signed your Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship. Restrictions are lifted at 18.

Exceptions: Your parent/guardian may allow other drivers 21 or older to accompany you when you drive, but those hours won't count toward the 50-hour total required for your drive log.

Driver Awareness Permit

Age: 15 ½ to 16

Valid: For three years

Requirements: You'll need that same Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship and proof that you completed an approved driver education course.

Restrictions: You may only drive with the parent/guardian who signed your Affidavit. This restriction's lifted at 18.

Exceptions: Similar to above, your parent/guardian may allow other drivers 21 or older to accompany you when you drive, but those hours won't count toward the 50-hour total required for your drive log.

Minor Permit

Age: 16 to 21

Valid: For three years

Requirements: You'll need that Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship if you're under 18.

Restrictions: You may only drive with the parent/guardian who signed your Affidavit. This restriction's lifted at 18.

Exceptions: We sound like a broken record—notice the only difference seems to be the age group? Again, your parent/guardian may allow other drivers 21 or older to accompany you when you drive, but those hours won't count toward the 50-hour total required for your drive log.

Minor License

Age: 16 to 21

Valid: Until 20 days after your 21st birthday

Requirements: If under 18, you must hold a permit for at least 12 months prior to application and present a completed driver log showing 50 hours of driving. If under 16 ½, you must complete behind-the-wheel training—either six hours of driving with an approved driver education instructor or 12 hours with a parent/guardian which is added to the 50 hours of log time for a total of 62 hours—prior to application. If 18 or older, you don't need to first have an instruction permit, but you do need to pay the fee for one.

Restrictions: If you're under 18, within the first six months of issuance, you can't drive passengers under 21, you can't drive more than one passenger under 21 within the first year, and you can't drive between the hours of midnight and 5:00AM within the first year.

Exceptions: You can break those pesky passenger rules if you have a parent, guardian, or experienced driver 21 or older with you, if a passenger needs medical assistance (a.k.a. you're taking them to the hospital), or if the passengers are members of your immediate family. You can break the hour restrictions if you're an emancipated minor, have that parent/guardian/21-year-old driver with you, or if you're driving to or from school, work, or the hospital.

Adult License

Age: 21+

Valid: Until your 5th birthday after issuance

Requirements: You just have to pay the fee for a permit prior to applying for a license, even though you don't need to use it.

Restrictions: Aside from the rules of the road, there aren't any. Boom.