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.

You'll first get this piece of paper that says "Instruction Permit" on it. You're permitted to drive, but you have to have a licensed driver who is 21 years of age or older and who has at least three years of driving experience in the front passenger seat at all times.

This bears repeating. You can't drive alone. Anywhere. This is huge. If a cop catches you driving alone with only an Instruction Permit, it's likely that you won't get your real license until you're at least 18.

Think you're cool because you're 16 and have your restricted license? You can't drive between the hours of midnight and 5:00AM without that 21-year-old in your passenger seat. And for the first five months (151 days), you can't drive any passengers under the age of 18 who aren't in your immediate family unless you have that supervisin' driver with you.

The belief is that in this probationary time, you'll be extra super extra extra cautious. And if you're not, then you aren't ready to be inflicted on everyone else who has to use the same roads as you.

And while we're on the subject, anyone with a permit or restricted license who's convicted of a moving traffic violation will have to wait extra long to upgrade to the next driving level, so uh, try not to do anything illegal.

Already feeling antsy? Want to upgrade your Instruction Permit to a restricted license? Let's play a little game to see if you're eligible.

Instruction Permit: Choose Your Own Adventure (As Long As It Sticks to State Rules)

Let's say you've had your Instruction Permit for a while now and want to upgrade:

A. Are you 18 or older? If YES, go to B. If NO, go to C.
B. None of this applies to you! Go to C.
C. Have you had your permit for at least nine months? If YES, go to D. If NO, go to E.
D. Have you successfully avoided incurring a moving traffic violation within the last nine months? If YES, go to F. If NO, go to E.
E. Sorry kid, you're gonna have to wait a while.
F. Has a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult driver aged 21 or older with at least three years of driving experience certified that you have had at least 60 hours of driving practice, of which at least ten were at night? If YES, go to G. If NO, go to E.
G. Have you successfully completed a Maryland-approved driver education program and passed a driving test? If YES, go to H. If NO, go to E.
H. Congrats! You're the proud owner of a shiny new Class C Provisional Maryland Driver's License.

After 18 months, your license will automatically be upgraded to an unrestricted one, as long as you haven't been convicted of any moving violations. Good luck, folks.