DRIVER EDUCATION PERMIT – Available to minors 15 years – 15 years 6 months.

Expires 3 years from the date of issue.
Must hold the permit for a minimum of 12 months before applying for a Driver's License.
Must present a completed Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship (DR2460)
Must present a completed Affidavit of Completion of a Driver Education Classroom Course or BTW (back of DR2460) showing completion of the classroom portion of a department-approved Driver Education Course within 6 months of applying for the permit. Please refer to FAQ#21 and #21a for a complete list of approved courses
May drive only with the driver ed instructor or the person(s) who signed the DR2460 until the age of 18. This restriction is automatically lifted when the minor reaches 18. May then drive with any Colorado-licensed driver 21 years of age or older.
If the person(s) who signed the DR2460 does not hold a valid Colorado driver's license, they may appoint an Alternate Permit Supervisor to supervise the minor while driving. The Alternate Permit Supervisor must hold a valid Colorado Driver's License and be 21 years of age or older. Drive time with an Alternate Permit Supervisor will count toward the 50-hour total required on the log sheet. The person(s) who signed the DR2460 may also allow any person 21 years of age or older, who holds a valid license, to supervise the minor while driving but that driving time does not count toward the 50 hour total required on the log sheet.

DRIVER AWARENESS PERMIT – Available to minors 15 years 6 months - 16 years

Expires 3 years from the date of issue.
Must hold the permit for a minimum of 12 months before applying for a Driver's License.
Must present a completed Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship (DR2460).
Must provide documentation indicating they have completed a 4-hour driver awareness program approved by the department. Please refer to FAQ #26 for a complete list of approved instructors.
May drive only with the person who signed the DR2460 until the age of 18. This restriction is automatically lifted when the minor reaches 18. May then drive with any licensed driver 21 years of age or older.
If the person(s) who signed the DR2460 does not hold a valid Colorado driver's license, they may appoint an Alternate Permit Supervisor to supervise the minor while driving. The Alternate Permit Supervisor must hold a valid Colorado Driver's License and be 21 years of age or older. Drive time with an Alternate Permit Supervisor will count toward the 50-hour total required on the log sheet. The person(s) who signed the DR2460 may also allow any person 21 years of age or older, who holds a valid license, to supervise the minor while driving but that driving time does not count toward the 50 hour total required on the log sheet.
MINOR INSTRUCTION PERMIT – available to minors 16 years to 21 years of age.

Expires 3 years from the date of issue.
Minors under 18 must hold the permit for a minimum of 12 months before applying for a Driver's License.
Must present a completed Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship (DR2460).
May drive only with the person who signed the DR2460 until the age of 18. May then driver with any Colorado-licensed driver 21 years of age or older.
If the person(s) who signed the DR2460 does not hold a valid Colorado driver's license, they may appoint an Alternate Permit Supervisor to supervise the minor while driving. The Alternate Permit Supervisor must hold a valid Colorado Driver's License and be 21 years of age or older. Drive time with an Alternate Permit Supervisor will count toward the 50-hour total required on the log sheet. The person(s) who signed the DR2460 may also allow any person 21 years of age or older, who holds a valid license, to supervise the minor while driving but that driving time does not count toward the 50 hour total required on the log sheet.
The minor customer must present a certified birth certificate, or other acceptable form of identification, and their Social Security Number and pass a written test and a vision screening test to be issued an instruction permit. Please see FAQ #1 for the complete identification list. Every applicant under age 18 must submit an "Affidavit of Liability and Guardianship" (DR 2460) signed by a parent or stepparent, a guardian or a grandparent with Power of Attorney. The DR 2460 must be verified by either a Driver's License employee or a Notary Public. If the signer is a guardian, original court documents showing guardianship, custody or adoption must be presented. If the signer is a grandparent with Power of Attorney (POA), the original POA must be presented and a copy of the POA must be surrendered upon application for the permit. If neither parent is living, the legal guardian of the minor may sign the affidavit. In this case, court-ordered guardianship papers are required. The affidavit may be obtained at any Motor Vehicle Driver License Office; the back of the Colorado Driver's Manual; or on the Motor Vehicle Division Handbooks Web page.

Law: Hold permit for 1 year, not just 6 months. Implication: If you want to drive at 16, you must get a permit on your 15th birthday.

Law: You must be 16 years of age to get a permit, unless enroled in a state-approved driver's education course. Implication: If you do not tke driver's ed, you cannot get your license until 17 years of age.

If you are enrolled (signed up for a course and paid) and 15, but not yet 16, take your affidavit of enrollment to the D.M.V. (Department of Motor Vehicles) with your Birth Certificate from Vital Statistics, Social Security card, a second I.D. (other than school I.D.), $10.00, and be prepared to take a written and eye exam. If you are enrolled in a 4 1/2 hour "Driver Awareness Program", you must be 15 1/2 to qualify for a permit. Note: Colorado Driving Institute gives this exam in classroom at no charge, however, because of the one-year permit requirement, you may want to take the permit test before class starts. All students, under the age of 15 years old, will be taking the permit test in class. Upon reaching their 15th birthday, students should go to the D.M.V to get their permit.

Law: Stepparents can be eligible for driving with learners under 16.
Implication: More opportunity to drive.

Food for thought...One out of 12 fatal traffic accidents involves eating, talking, or other inatentive behavior, according to the National Highway Safty Administration.

Hold Please...Drivers of cars equipped with telephones have a 34% greater risk of accident than those driving cars without phones, according to a preliminary study by the Rochester Institue of Technology. Safety experts advise keeping conversations short and pulling off the road whenever possible.

SOME NEW STUFF

Although covered in detail in the course lessons, here are some changes in driver's education over the past few years.

Risk Management: We now teach students to become good risk managers by identifying a problem, developing a solution, and executing a maneuver. Still based in sound defensive driving techniquies, this newer approach is more pro-active than the previous defenseive posture.

Hand Position: Placing hands on the steering wheel is no longer in the 10 and 2 o' clock position. Air bags have made this a poor place to hold the wheel. Sliding the grip to the 9 and 3 o' clock position is safer and still allows for the hand-over-hand steering method, a favorite for beginners. Push-pull-slide is now recommended for advanced drivers (hands are at the bottom of the steering wheel, in the 5 and 7 o' clock position).

Braking: Pumping the brakes is out, threshold braking is in, and has the shortest stopping distance. Also, anti-lock breaks are great, just stomp, steer and don't let up. Do you know which of your cars has an Anti-lock Breaking System?

Lights On: Always--yes, even in daytime with good sunlight. The idea is not to see, but is to be seen, an important concept in driver safety.

Side View Mirror Adjustment: Adjusting the side view mirrors is now done with the head tilted down towards the shoulder. This elimnates more of the blind spot in your side view mirror. Now add a head tilt just before the head check to still get that secon look behind you.