Graduated Drivers Licensing FAQ's

Q. Isn't 50 hours of supervised driving a lot to ask of teens and parents?

A. No. 50 hours over six months equals just 8.3 hours per month, or a little more than two hours per week. New drivers need time to familiarize themselves with dozens of driving scenarios - for example rural, urban, suburban, freeways, rush hour, nighttime, dusk, rain and snow.

Q. Why target young drivers and not all beginning drivers or elderly drivers?

A. 16-year-old drivers have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. The very youngest and least experienced drivers are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding and tailgating. GDL introduces beginners into the driving population in a low-risk manner, protecting them and others.

Q. Does GDL work?

A. Yes. The Colorado Department of Transportation reports that during the three years (1997-1999) prior to GDL, an average of 34 teens, ages 16 and 17, died in traffic crashes in Colorado. During the three years (2000-2002) after the law became effective, an average of 28 teens, ages 16 and 17, died in traffic crashes in Colorado. In Florida teen driver deaths have dropped 21 percent since GDL went into effect in 1996. Canada and New Zealand have had these types of systems in place longer and have seen significant drops in teenage driver crash and fatality rates.

Q. I just got my driver license and I am under 18. How does the new law on minor drivers affect me?

A. Beginning July 1, 2005, regardless of when you got your license, if you are under 18 you cannot drive a vehicle carrying a passenger under 21 unless you have held your driver license for at least 6 months. And, you cannot drive a vehicle carrying more than one passenger under 21 unless you have held your driver license for at least one year.

• If your parent or guardian is in the car with you, or
• If there is an adult passenger in the vehicle who has a valid license and has held a driver license for at least one year or
• If the passenger under 21 needs emergency medical assistance, or
• If the passengers under 21 are members of your immediate family and they are all wearing seatbelts.

For example, if you were issued your license on January 1, 2005, on July 1, 2005, you would not be allowed to carry any passengers for the first six months (until July 1, 2005). After that, you would be allowed to carry only one passenger under age 21 until you had possessed your license for one year (as of January 1, 2006), unless you met one of the exceptions above.

There are also new restrictions on the time of day that you can drive. If you are under 18 you cannot drive between the hours of 12 midnight and 5 a.m. unless you have held your driver license for at least one year unless*:

• Your parent or guardian is in the car with you, or
• There is an adult passenger in the vehicle who has a valid license and has held a driver license for at least one year, or
• You are driving to school or a school-authorized activity and the school doesn't provide transportation. You will need a signed statement from the school official showing the date of the activity, or
• You are driving because of employment; you must carry a signed statement from your employer verifying your employment, or
• You are driving because of an emergency, or
• You are an emancipated minor but your parent(s) or guardian(s) have not canceled your license.

(*See page 35 of the Colorado Driver Handbook for the driver log sheet and complete details on restrictions and requirements. You can obtain copies of the book at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. The book is also available online in PDF format).