Drive baby drive

Driving
By Dylan Rompf

Some new forgotten laws might get you in a pickle, especially for the new drivers out there that have never really had the rules explained in a way they understand. These “new” laws are actually old news to a lot of the drivers on our roads, but for the sixteen to eighteen year olds with a fresh permit, it could mean a longer wait for that license they’ve been dreaming of. I have heard, and been asked, many questions by adults and teens concerning the laws of new drivers’ licenses and learners’ permits for the new drivers out there, so I hope this is their answer.

In 2005, some new ideas were put into effect, affecting all of the Colorado teens standing in line at the DMV awaiting one of Americas ’ most common rite of passage, the drivers’ license. These laws introduced a graduated driving program to insure that all the sixteen year olds have the experience they need to make educated decisions while on the road.

For a learner’s permit it works like this: the driver must be in possession of a learning permit for one whole year, while keeping a record of driving hours, conditions, and time of day. A person 21 or older with a valid driver’s license must sign off on these records for them to be accepted towards the total drive time, which must be at least fifty hours (ten of these fifty must be night).

After one year, providing that all the drive time is completed, the driver may trade in his learner’s permit for a Colorado driver’s license. Then the driver may drive by his/herself, but don’t think they are out of the woods yet. Until the driver has had his/her license for a full six months the number of passengers is limited to no one under twenty-one, except siblings and medical emergencies. Then, after six months the driver may have up to one person under twenty-one, except siblings and medical emergencies. Not exactly the freedom the older generations remember, but the statistics have shown it is working toward a safer roadway for all.