A Message to Parents & Guardians

The Colorado Department of Revenue’s Division of Motor Vehicles is pleased to continue to partner with the Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Colorado Department of Human Services, the Colorado Young Driving Alliance, Safe Roads Alliance, State Farm®, and Toyota in offering Colorado’s Parent’s Supervised Driving Program guide.

Since we rolled out this guide in 2013, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents and guardians who have used this guide to assist their teens in developing the safe driving habits and skills to make them responsible drivers.

Your role as a parent or guardian has a critical impact in shaping a teen’s driving habits. Research shows that teens are significantly influenced by the actions of other adults in their lives, like parents, guardians, or other family. When we demonstrate safe driving practices — such as obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions and always wearing seat belts — our teens are more likely to adopt these behaviors themselves. It’s not just about teaching rules; it’s about instilling a culture of safety and responsibility that they can carry into their own driving experiences. According to the CDC, having regular conversations about safety, practicing driving together, and leading by example go a long way in ensuring your teen makes smart decisions when they get behind the wheel. You can also create a parent/teen driving agreement that puts your rules in writing to clearly set expectations and limits, and work with your teen to outline hazards to avoid and consequences for breaking rules. Keep the agreement on the fridge and update it as your teen gains experience and more driving privileges.

Safe roads start with safe drivers. Although teens see a driver license as a step toward independence, the risk of crashes are particularly high during the first year of driving, so practice and diligence is essential. Crash data validates that inexperience, distractions, driving while impaired, and nighttime driving are still the top contributing factors associated with crashes among young drivers, mainly because of their immaturity, lack of skill, and lack of experience. The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than among any other age group. In fact, per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are almost three times more likely than drivers 20 years old and older to be in a fatal crash, according to the CDC and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

It has never been more important to help ensure our young drivers are getting the experience they need to be safe and prepared. The Driver Testing and Education Team actively partners with the Association of National Stakeholders in Traffic Safety Education, a national stakeholder group dedicated to initiating improvements in the administration of driver education and for maintaining the Novice Teen Driver Education and Training Administrative Standards, to ensure young drivers in Colorado get the most out of Driver Education. To ensure that our most at-risk drivers receive appropriate training before being given unrestricted driving privileges, they also partner with the Colorado Young Driving Alliance, a coalition of state and local agencies, nonprofits, and private-sector partners dedicated to educating students, parents, and guardians about the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law.

Driver education, including behind-the-wheel training, provides our young people with essential opportunities to learn and understand the rules of the road and the laws that impact their driving privileges, including the dangers of distracted driving, the effects of drinking and drugs on driving, the importance of having all passengers buckle up, and how to share the road with motorcycles, pedestrians, and large commercial vehicles. Parents and guardians are essential to the success of our young drivers and understanding the requirements of the GDL is a part of that. The DMV has three important resources at DMV.Colorado.gov/DriverEducation that include this guide, its companion smartphone app (available for iOS and Android), and an online parent course to help parents and young drivers navigate through the GDL law and help ensure that teens obtain the training essential to becoming a safe driver.

You can make a difference. The old saying “practice makes perfect” is applicable to safe driving — the more time spent with your teen on the road, the more safe and confident they will be on the road.

I hope you find this guide and supporting online program a valuable resource to help in preparing your teen to become the driver you want them to be.

Electra Bustle
Senior Director
Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles