|
Question: |
What
are the requirements to get a Colorado Driver’s License if
under the age of 18? |
|
Answer: |
In order to get your Colorado
Drivers License, you must be at least 16 years of age, must
have held your permit for at least one full year, and must
have 50 hours of driving time documented by the person who
signed the affidavit of liability and guardianship. Please
keep in mind that 10 of those 50 hours must include nighttime
driving. |
|
Question: |
What
are the requirements to get a Colorado Driver’s License if
18 years of age or older? |
|
Answer: |
You must take the written
B.O.S.T test to get your Colorado Learners Permit. After which
you must pass a Behind the Wheel test to get your License. |
|
Question: |
When
can my student get their Colorado Driving Learner’s Permit
and what courses do they need? |
| Answer: |
If you are less than
15 years and 6 months the State of Colorado requires
you to:
 Be
at least 14years and 6 months
of age or older on the day he or she begins a Driver Education
Course;
Must
attend and complete a State approved 30-hour Driver Education
Course or complete an approved Home Study Education Correspondence
Course.
NOTE:
State Law no longer requires concurrent
enrollment in a minimum of 6-hours of Behind-the-Wheel (BTW)
training lessons with a State-Certified Drivers Education
Instructor. However, if your student acquires a permit after
April 23, 2007, they will be required to complete 6 hours
of BTW training with a State certified, professional organization
if they are living within a 50 mile radius of a driving
school, in addition to completing 50 hours of behind the wheel
practice with their parent/guardian. To find out if you are
in the radius, please contact your local DMV.
If you are 15
years and 6 months but less than 16 years of age
the State of Colorado requires that you:
Attend
and complete an approved Pre-Qualifying 4-hour Driver Awareness
Program;
OR
complete a State approved 30-hour Driver Education Course
or complete an approved Home Study Education Correspondence
Course |
|
Question: |
Does
my student have to take a written test to get their Colorado
Driver’s License? |
|
Answer: |
The only
written test that your student takes is the Colorado Driving
Learners Permit test. The test to get your Colorado Drivers
License is the Basic Operators Skills Test (BOST) behind the
wheel test or better known as the behind the wheel License
test. |
|
Question: |
Who is my student
allowed to drive with now that they have their permit? (new) |
|
Answer: |
Legally,
there must be at least one person who signed the Affidavit
of Liability and Guardianship or Affidavit of Completion in
the car while the student is driving. Now as far as passengers
are concerned, that is up to the people who signed the Affidavit
of Completion to decide. |
|
Question: |
How long must I have
my Instruction Permit before I can take my driving test? |
|
Answer: |
If you are 18 years of age
or older, you can take the driving test on the same day you
get your permit. If you are under the age of 18, you must
have held your permit for one full year, and have your
50 hours of logged drive time in order to take your driving
test for your license. |
|
Question: |
Are
there any laws for minors (under 18 years of age) that have
just received their Colorado Driver’s License? |
|
Answer: |
Yes there are:
You
cannot have any passengers under the age of 21 in the car
until you have had a drivers license for at least 6 months
unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. (Excluding
siblings or emergency situations)
You
cannot have more than one passenger under
the age of 21 until you have had a drivers’ license for at
least one year unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
(Excluding siblings or emergency situations)
All
passengers you drive with must wear safety
belts and only one may ride in the front
seat.
You
cannot drive between midnight and 5:00am until you have had
your drivers’ license for at least one year unless accompanied
by a parent or legal guardian.
Exceptions to driving
between midnight and 5:00am:
Driving
to school or school-authorized activity and the school does
not provide transportation. For this a signed statement from
the school is required.
Driving
to or from work. For this a signed statement from the employer
is required.
Any
Medical Emergency.
The
driver is an emancipated minor.
Please see the Colorado Driving
Handbook with regard to all details on laws and driving restrictions.
|
| Question: |
What
does CDI's Reactivation Fee and Upgrade Fee cover? |
|
Answer: |
The reactivation fee,
paid if the students services have expired, covers the overhead
associated with renewing the account; the account must be
reactivated, information updated, new contracts must be processed,
etc.
The upgrade fee, paid if
the student’s services have expired, is the difference in
cost between the price of the service when they initially
purchased the service and the cost to deliver that service
now. For example, if a student bought a lesson one year ago,
at the cost of $95, and the cost of a lesson today is $120,
the student upgrade fee is $25. |
|
Question: |
I
have received two contracts, what are these for? |
|
Answer: |
If you are signed up for
30-hours of classroom and/or behind the wheel lessons with
the Colorado Driving Institute, you are required to deliver
one copy to your Instructor on the first
day of class or on your first BTW lesson.
Please keep the second copy to refer to as it has important
information about CDI’s procedures and policies. |
|
Question: |
What
forms of payment are acceptable? |
|
Answer: |
We take cash, credit card,
money orders or checks. If you have your credit card available
we can process a payment for you via phone Monday through
Friday during our normal business hours. Or, you can always
register and pay through our website, 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. Please keep in mind that we do have a pre-payment
policy on all services rendered. |
|
Question: |
When
does my student get the Certificate of Completion for this
course? |
|
Answer: |
A Certificate
of Completion will be issued once the student has FULLY
completed all six hours. Certificates will be handed out by
the behind the wheel instructor on the last lesson. If you
did not receive one please call our office at 303-818-7623
and we will have an instructor mail you your certificate or
you may pick it up from our office. |
|
Question: |
If
I lost my Driving test completion statement can Colorado Driving
Institute issue me another one? |
|
Answer: |
No. Unfortunately all of
the completion statements have a registered control number
that we report back to the State. You would have to take the
driving test again with CDI for an additional $40 or with
the Department of Motor Vehicles if you lost your form. |
|
Question: |
Will
the Certificate of Completion help us get a discount on our
automobile insurance? |
|
Answer: |
A lot of
parents ask this question, but unfortunately this all depends
on your insurance companies various policies and requirements.
We recommend that you contact your local insurance agent to
see what their requirements are for a driver’s education discount.
|
|
Question: |
If
I lose my certificate of completion, can I get a duplicate? |
|
Answer: |
Yes. However
Colorado Driving Institute only provides the first certificate
for free. After that, there is a duplicate certificate fee
of $5.00 per certificate issued. |
|
Question: |
How
far in advance do I need to cancel my Drive test without penalty? |
|
Answer: |
You must reschedule with
more than 24 hours advanced notice to avoid any fees.
The fee is $20 if: you cancel
or reschedule your test with less than 24 hours notice, forget
to bring your permit to your test, (if under 18) forget to
bring your drive log to the test, show up more than15 minutes
late, don’t show for your test, or wear inappropriate footwear
to the test i.e., athletic shoes, etc |
|
Question: |
Where
do I get the Colorado Driving Handbook to study for the permit
test? |
|
Answer: |
You can obtain the Colorado
Driving Handbook at your local DMV or on their website at
http://www.revenue.state.co.us/mv_dir/home.asp. |
|
Question: |
What
does my child need to bring to their classroom sessions? |
|
Answer: |
They need
to bring a pen or pencil, a notebook or paper and a copy of
their birth certificate. The birth certificate does not need
to be a legal copy. A photocopy will be collected for our
records and is needed for proof of age in order to prove the
student is eligble to take the class. The lunch break is 30
minutes. We suggest that students bring a lunch. However,
lunch can be purchased locally. |
|
Question: |
I
just received my Driver Awareness Program (DAP) certificate
of completion. How long do I have before this form expires? |
|
Answer: |
The Driver
Awareness Program certificate of completion expires 60 days
from the date of issue. |
|
Question: |
If
I lost my Driver Awareness Program (DAP) certificate of completion,
can Colorado Driving Institute issue me another one? |
|
Answer: |
No. Unfortunately
all of the certificates have a registered control number that
we report back to the State. The State now requires that the
student must attend another DAP session to get another Certificate
of Completion. |
|
Question: |
The
Home Study course is advertised as self-paced, but does my
teen have to complete the course in a specified time frame? |
|
Answer: |
The Home
Study course is self-paced but does need to be returned to
the Colorado Driving Institute within Nine (9) months
of registration. With recent changes in state law,
you must complete the written portion of the Home Study Course
before you can apply for Minor Permit; CDI is
required by State law to certify the successful completion
of the course. |
|
Question: |
What
if I can’t find or don’t return some of the contents of the
Materials Box for my Home Study? |
|
Answer: |
Each piece
of material that we send out in your Materials Box has an
individual price. If you cant find or don’t return some of
those materials, the price will be invoiced to you with our
current prices. |
|
Question: |
Does
the behind-the-wheel training provided by CDI count as part
of my teen's drive-log experience? |
|
Answer: |
YES! The
state has recently modified their standards, AGAIN! The hours
provided by an approved instructor and the parents/legal guardians
who have signed the "Affidavit of Liability" will
be counted as part of the teen's 50hrs of experience. |
|
Question: |
How
far in advance do I need to schedule my behind the wheel lesson? |
|
Answer: |
Typically
our drivers are booked out 4 to 6 weeks in advance, and can
be as much as 6 to 8 weeks during summer months so regardless
of when you would like to take a lesson, please keep this
fact in mind. CDI currently serves some 2000 families! |
|
Question: |
When
should we schedule our behind the wheel lessons? |
|
Answer: |
We can start
scheduling behind the wheel lessons as soon as the student
has their permit. Please keep in mind that we ask for at least
5-10 hours of practice in between each lesson. We can however,
assist in the basic lesson and have no experience then. Normally,
we book the first lesson (basic lesson) and the second lesson
(city lesson) within 3-4 weeks of each other, with at least
10 hours total time before the City lesson. We ask that the student have around 30-40 hours of experience
before taking the highway lesson for the students’ safety
as well as our instructors’ safety due to high speeds and
traffic. Remember our lessons are booked out 4-6 weeks during
the winter months and 6-8 weeks during the summer months so
please plan ahead; call ahead. And don’t forget, we have a
full year for most of our students. |
|
Question: |
How
far in advance do I need to cancel my behind the wheel lesson
without penalty? |
|
Answer: |
You must
reschedule with more than 24 hours advanced notice
to avoid any fees. The fee is $50 if: you cancel
or reschedule your lesson with less than 24 hours notice,
forget to bring your permit or your license to your lesson,
show up more than15 minutes late to your lesson, don’t show,
or wear inappropriate footwear i.e., flip-flops, you will
be assessed a $50 no-show fee that must be paid before another
lesson can be scheduled or receive a certificate of completion.
Please wear closed toed shoes (athletic shoes, for example)
to all lessons. |
|
Question: |
What
does my child need to bring with them to their Behind the
Wheel lesson? |
|
Answer: |
They MUST
bring their permit or driver's license, and wear closed toed
shoes, or we cannot proceed with the lesson and will have
to reschedule for another time and a $50 no-show fee will
be applied to the students account. |
|
Question: |
We
only have clutch cars in our household. Can my child take
their Behind the Wheel lessons in a clutch car with CDI? |
|
Answer: |
We do offer
clutch lessons for $140.00. However, they are in addition
to the standard three Behind the Wheel lessons. We teach the
Basic, City and Highway lessons in an automatic so that the
student can better focus on driving laws and getting
comfortable with making good driving habits. When the students
have achieved a certain level of understanding, CDI instructors
will then introduce new challenge of working a clutch car. |
|
Question: |
Can
my student wear sandals on their BTW (Behind the wheel) Lessons? |
|
Answer: |
NO. Due to
the risk of them coming off during the lesson or getting caught
in or on a foot pedal, we will cancel any Behind the Wheel
lesson where the student does not have a change of shoes and
charge a $50 fee. Close toed shoes only please. Also Appropriate
clothing is also a must. Low cut shirts, short shorts, short
skirts are not allowed. We want our students, as well as our
instructors, to feel comfortable during Lessons and tests.
|
|
Question: |
Does
CDI offer the Behind-the-Wheel BOST Test? |
|
Answer: |
CDI provides
this optional service to our students for a discounted fee
of $40--it is optional because parents and students, with
enough forethought and preparation, can schedule this free
test through the DMV.
Parents/Students that take the test through the DMV should
consult the DMV website for vehicle, registration, and insurance
requirements. If their vehicle does not meet the DMV requirements,
the student will not be allowed to take their test and must
reschedule with the DMV. |
|
Question: |
Why
does CDI offer the Behind-the-Wheel BOST
Test? |
|
Answer: |
The Behind-the-Wheel
BOST test is not the primary
focus of the Institute (classroom instruction and lessons
are). We offer the test for the following reasons:
Parents/Students
do not have a vehicle that:
They
can use for the test
Is
insured
Can
pass DMV inspection
Parents/students
didn’t plan for the test in advance and need to take it at
the last minute |
|
Question: |
Why
do parents/students prefer taking the Behind-the-Wheel
BOST Test with CDI? |
|
Answer: |
It's convenient
Parents/Students are more comfortable
taking the test with a CDI instructor; some have taken lessons
from the instructor that will be providing the test
Another
child/earlier student took their Test with CDI |
|
Question: |
Is
there an advantage to taking the Behind-the-Wheel
test with CDI? |
|
Answer: |
No. We deliver
the same test and use the same testing materials that the
DMV uses on a daily basis. We cannot and will not do anything
to give students an unfair advantage.
A benefit of taking the test with CDI, is that we may provide
suggestions to improve a students safety in driving , and
if they fail the test, we can tell them what areas need improvement,
where the DMV is normally a thumbs up or down. |
|
Question: |
Why
does CDI charge so much for the Behind-the-Wheel
Test? |
|
Answer: |
CDI provides
this service as a courtesy for our customers; our main business
focus is on drivers education and instruction provided in
behind the wheel lessons.
When customers request a
BOST test, CDI has to set aside time from the main functions
of the business- delivering services, administration work,
etc. to accommodate that request. CDI charges a fee for the
test because these normal business functions are postponed
and the company incurs a tangible opportunity cost.
The test fee has remained
the same for over seven years. |
|
Question: |
When
can CDI administer the Behind-the-Wheel Test? |
|
Answer: |
CDI will
administer the test under the following 3 conditions (all
of these conditions must be met):
Student
is at least 16 years old
Student
has held their permit for one full year from date of issue
Student
has completed 50 hours of drive-time, including 10 hours of
night-driving |
|
Question: |
Will
CDI administer the test during a lesson? |
|
Answer: |
CDI does
not normally schedule tests during lessons. A test scheduled
during a lesson takes away from the material offered during
the lesson. Our lessons are offered in two hour increments
only. A test may be scheduled directly after the lesson however
if the schedule allows. Please call the office at 303-818-7623
to check on schedule availability. |
|
Question: |
What
is a B.O.S.T. test? |
|
Answer: |
B.O.S.T. stands for Basic
Operating Skills Test. Actually; there are two kinds of B.O.S.T.
tests that you can take:
· The first is a written B.O.S.T.
test. Once you pass it, it allows you to get a Colorado Learners
Permit. You can take this test through the Colorado Department
of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
The
second is a behind-the-wheel B.O.S.T. test. Once you pass
it, this test allows you to get a Colorado Drivers license.
You can take this through the Colorado DMV by appointment
or through a third party tester. To take the test through
the DMV, you must provide your own vehicle with proof of registration
and insurance. Or, you can take the test with CDI (a State
certified third party tester) in one of our company cars.
The cost of this test is $45 for non-students or $40 if your
are a student that has taken classes through Colorado Driving
Institute. You may schedule an appointment or call for a walk-in
test. A pre-scheduled appointment for testing is the best
way to go, as many of CDI’s Testing Providers are likely to
already be booked in advance. |
|
Question: |
Will
CDI inform us about any changes in the law that the State
of Colorado puts into affect? |
|
Answer: |
Colorado
driving laws change frequently what was once true for parents/guardians
may not apply today. CDI will do their best to try and inform
customers but it is still your responsibility to really make
sure you know what new laws have come into affect. We recommend
looking to the DMV’s website for any questions regarding Colorado
driving laws http://www.revenue.state.co.us/mv_dir/home.asp |
|
Question: |
What
does my student need to take with them to the Department of
Motor Vehicles (DMV) to get their Colorado Driver’s License? |
|
Answer: |
Due to the constantly changing
DMV requirements CDI suggests that you visit the DMV web site
in order to acquire the most current information.
http://www.revenue.state.co.us/mv_dir/home.asp. |
|
Question: |
I
just received my driving test completion statement. How long
do I have before this form expires? |
|
Answer: |
The Behind-The-Wheel License
Test (the completion statement for the behind-the-wheel License
Test expires 60 days from the date of issue). |
|
Question: |
My
student has received an Affidavit
of Completion (front)
as well as an Affidavit
of Liability and Guardianship (back) form. What are they for? |
|
Answer: |
The Affidavit of Completion
should already be filled out (except for parents/step-parents/guardians
signatures) showing that your students name, date of birth,
and the Completion date of the classroom or home study course
with Colorado Driving Institute. In addition, this form will
show that the student is or is not signed up for BTW lessons
with CDI. On the Affidavit of Enrollment there will be a signature
from one of the State certified instructors at CDI.
The Affidavit of Liability
and Guardianship requires that you to fill out your students
name, date of birth, but it must only be signed in
the presence of a Department of Motor Vehicle Employee or
Notary Public. If it is signed outside of the presence
of one of these required officials the form becomes null and
void. This form must to be handed in to the Department of
Motor Vehicles when you and your student go in to obtain their
Colorado Driving Learners Permit. |
|
Question: |
How
can I find my local DMV? |
|
Answer: |
DMV locations are found in
the blue government pages of the phone book OR in the back
of your Colorado Driver Handbook. A list of locations can
also be found on the Colorado DMV’s website at:
http://www.colorado.gov/revenue |
|
Question: |
How
can I get a Spanish version of the Colorado Driving Handbook? |
|
Answer: |
You can obtain a Spanish
version of the Colorado Driving Handbook at the DMV or on
their website at http://www.revenue.state.co.us/mv_dir/home.asp. |
