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.

Regardless of whether you go for the Early Bird Road or the Young Adult Road, you'll first get this piece of paper that says "Learner's Permit" on it. You're permitted to drive, but you have to have a licensed driver who's 21 years of age or older in the front passenger seat at all times. And you can only drive between 5:00AM and 11:00PM.

This bears repeating. You can't drive alone. Anywhere. This is huge. If a cop catches you driving alone with only a Learner's 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 17, 18, 19, or 20 and have your probationary license? You still can't drive between the hours of 11:00PM and 5:00AM. Bummer.

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.

Already feeling antsy? Want to upgrade your Learner's Permit to a Provisional License? Let's play a little game to see if you're eligible.

Learner's Permit: Choose Your Own Adventure (As Long As It Sticks to State Rules)

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

A. Are you 21 or older? If YES, go to B. If NO, go to C.
B. Congrats! None of this applies to you.
C. Have you had your Learner’s Permit for at least six months? If YES, go to D. If NO, go to E.
D. Have you successfully avoided incurring a moving traffic violation within the last six months? If YES, go to F. If NO, go to E.
E. Sorry kid, you're gonna have to wait a while.
F. Are you at least 17? If YES, go to G. If NO, go to E.
G. Have you 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 D Probationary New Jersey Driver's License.

Once you turn 18 and you've been driving for one glorious violation-free year, you'll be upgraded to an unrestricted Class D license.