Below you will find lesson-by-lesson summaries & basic breakdowns of the Colorado Driving Institute’s instructional program, as well as additional tips for instructing new drivers. If you elect to teach your new driver on your own, it is our hope that this information will help you shape your student into a safe, effective driver. If you choose the Colorado Driving Institute for your instructional needs, the information on this page will help you practice with your student between lessons and reinforce the techniques taught, so they can become the best driver one can be!
The First Lesson: Basic Driving Lesson
The main focus of this lesson is developing safe habits for being behind the wheel of a car. Make sure to cover the following: basic vehicle operations, signaling for changing lanes or turning, braking, how to drive through residential intersections, right-of-way procedures, parking on a curb, how to change lanes safely, slowing down and stopping, how traffic patterns work, parallel parking, and how to make right or left turns, parking lot maneuvers and backing . The basics are important to practice before the student moves on to more advanced traffic situations in the City Driving Lesson. Your student should practice with you for at least 4 hours before moving onto City Driving skills. This takes students 2 to 3 weeks to complete. The more you allow your student to practice the basics, the better prepared they are for success in advanced traffic situations.
The Second Lesson: City Driving Lesson
The main focus of this lesson is to apply the skills learned in the Basic Driving Lesson to a more complex city traffic environment. Make sure to cover: driving down a one-way street, driving with multiple traffic light intersections, turning in turn-only lanes & double turn lanes, review parallel parking, adjusting speed depending on traffic situations, and being aware of your surroundings at all times–like looking for pedestrians and bikes! If you feel your student has not successfully learned and can apply all of the above listed techniques while driving, have them practice until they have mastered all of the basics.
The Third Lesson: Freeway Driving Lesson
The main focus of this lesson is applying all of the student’s previous driving experience to a high speed and heavy traffic situation. Make sure to cover: entering and exiting traffic, executing multiple lane changes, mirror monitoring, and freeway ramp techniques. This would also be a good time to demonstrate to your student, how to do an OFF ROAD Recovery. Additionally try to find time in the winter to practice accelerating and braking in snow, as well as some “donuts” in an empty parking lot.
Pointers and Tips for Parent Coaching
Make sure your student knows that they can come to you if they are in an unsafe situation. Even though there may be repercussions, or no questions asked, make the option open to them to call if they are not able to get home safely, regardless of the situation.
Check the car for maintenance issues every time before driving. Look for lights that are out, low or flat tires, etc.
If possible, keep your hands at the “9” o’clock and “3” o’clock position on the steering wheel, Not “10” and “2” o’clock.
When driving with your student, have the mentality that you are driving the car. You should be looking for your student on lane changes and at intersections. Take control of the steering wheel sooner, rather than later. Use verbal commands when necessary. Try not to panic.
Plan out your driving routes. Know where you are going to make sure your teen can handle all of those specific traffic situations.
Graduate from parking lot to low traffic residential settings. Do lots of right turns at intersections, then graduate to heavier traffic, then on to higher speeds and freeways. “Always assume that if a car could be coming, it is-and usually at or above the speed limit.” Talk your student through driving. Let them know what signs you see and what you’re looking for when driving.
Narrate and point (with your left hand) to where a student should be looking to help develop fast and thorough search patterns. Use the word “correct” instead of “right.”
Three fast looks are better than one long one. Make sure you’re looking twice right and left at every intersection.
Have the student use their side mirror to see where they are positioned in their lane. A lot of beginner drivers have a tendency to drift to the right or left. If they are looking in their side mirror to see the traffic lines and you’re verbally telling them when they are drifting, they will get used to their lane position more quickly. On bends, aim high and trust your peripheral vision.
Always drive with headlights on and mark your car with a sign or bumper sticker that indicates that student may need to stop suddenly. Studies show that driving with your headlights on helps prevent accidents and allows other drivers to see you earlier.
Try and keep your cool. Teaching your student to drive can be a very stressful situation. If something goes wrong and your student makes a mistake, you have to calm down your student and make sure that they are okay and safe to continue to drive.
Driving the posted speed limit is too fast when conditions are not perfect. Colorado is a prima facie state. The safest speed is that of the prevailing traffic.
Make sure your student is feeling friction in between their hands and the steering wheel while accelerating out of the turn and allowing the steering wheel to slide. State exams do not allow this self-correcting steering method.
Risk management: We now teach student to become good risk managers by identifying a problem, developing a solution, and executing a maneuver. This is still based in sound defensive driving techniques but is a newer approach and is more pro-active than the previous defensive posture.
Just in case you cannot schedule your first lesson immediately, this is our lesson “How To” to assist you in teaching your student how to drive.
Here are in detail, three free driving skills lessons. These lessons may be used for teaching yourself, your spouse, your teen, or a friend.
These lessons can also be used to reinforce your last lesson or next lesson with CDI.
Basic Skills Lesson
| _____ | Demonstrate and explain dashboard displays, starting engine, mirror, and seat position– Adjust seats so there is a “slight” bend in the knees when the brake pedal is pushed to the floor with the foot. Adjust mirrors, rear-view mirror- center it. On the driver’s side, make sure the edge of the car is seen in inner edge of mirror, with head tilted. Get out of the vehicle and show the student where the blind spots are located. |
| _____ | Show shift positions and example of hand positions on steering wheel while turning (i.e. hand-overhand or push-pull-slide)– Circle student’s choice (hand-aver-hand or push-pull-slide). Demonstrate the other method that student does not choose. Make sure the student allows the wheel to slide on the way out of the turn with hands at “9” and “3.” |
| _____ | Locate electric turn signals, review hand signals, and make sure head lights are on-Make sure you know where the turn signals and head lights are before you begin driving. Use hands signals if turning lights or brake lights are out
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| _____ | Braking procedure: Threshold/ Anti-Lock- In cars with ABS the vehicle does all the work for the student; it automatically computes the pressure on the tires to make sure that the wheels do not lock up Threshold braking- the student should slam on their brakes when wanting to stop quickly. If the brake pedal is pushed all the way to the floor, there is 100% pressure on the brake. The student should learn to waiver the brake pressure between skidding and 90% non skidding pressure on the break. until the vehicle is stopped. |
| _____ | Explain open intersections and right-of-way- Remind the student about intersections without stop signs or traffic lights. Major roads have right of way. On roads of the same size the driver on the right has the right of way or the driver on the left yields. |
| _____ | Stop sign procedure for two-way vs. four-way- Always look for the back of the opposite stop sign, check for an all way rectangle sign below the octagon stop sign, come to a full stop behind the sidewalk, or stop bar; slowly creep forward nonstop until you see a pedestrian, bike, or traffic. Wait for traffic to clear at the edge of the lane or slightly in the lane to see past parked cars.
If it is an all way stop, simply go after the other cards that stopped before you have gone. If vehicles come to a stop at the same time the one on the right has right of way. |
| _____ | Curb procedure/lane changes with head check- Always signal first, check inside mirror (rearview mirror) then the outside mirror (in the direction you are going), head tilt, and then roll into a head check-looking to (back) side of the car (not the rear of the car). |
| _____ | Slowing and stopping at an intersection or turning- Always brake earlier rather than later. Look in rear view mirror before braking to make sure you’re safe to brake. Give yourself enough time to brake and come to a smooth turn or stop. |
| _____ | Demonstrate and explain right and left turns- Have the student initiate a right angle turn. Slow to 5-10 mph, check the rear-view mirror to make sure the vehicle behind you is aware you’re slowing down, get off brake, then turn wheel, then accelerate on the way out of the turn to help straighten out the vehicle until reaching the speed limit. For left-hand turns, have the student drive directly into intersection to turn on a green light (leaving enough room for an ambulance to pass through if it had to). Check for pedestrians before the last car passes when turning either left or right. If the oncoming car runs the yellow or red light.Complete your turn behind the last car through the intersection. |
| _____ | Parking lot maneuvers- Have student pull forward into spaces and back into spaces. Tell the student to: 1.) Go slow, 2.) Turn hard, 3.) Don’t back up any further than necessary. When possible advance forward into empty, open slots so as to be facing out. |
| _____ | Backing- straight! with turns- Left hand should be at 12:00 position on the steering wheel and the right hand behind the headrest of the passenger seat. Always look out of the back window, unless backing towards the driver’s side. Backing should be done in a straight line, with adjustments being made by turning the top of the steering wheel in the direction you want the back of the car to go. |
| _____ | Straight driving with multi-lane traffic- Have the student get used to driving in light traffic. |
| _____ | Roadway markings, traffic lights, and signs- Keep eyes scanning with fast but frequent looks. Make sure students start to read and identify all regulatory and warning signs. Quiz more advanced students on “what did that last sign say that we just passed?” |
| _____ | Parallel parking and parking on hills- “Three point parallel parking” is: Step #1.) Put on your right turn signal and pull up next to the vehicle in front of the space you wish to park in. You should stop two feet away from the vehicle, with your back bumper two feet past theirs.Step #2.) Turn the steering wheel one full turn to the right and back up until car is at 45º angle facing the sidewalk. Step #3.) Straighten out wheels with one full turn of the steering wheel to the left, put on your right turn signal, and then back up until the front bumper is lined up with the other car’s back bumper. Step #4.) Turn steering wheel all the way to the left, put on your right turn signal, and back into parking place until straight, then curb tire if necessary and if so, explain to the student why this is done. Downhill curb procedure: turn wheels right. When parking uphill turn wheels to the right without a curb or left with a curb. Always bank tires against the curb so as not to roll. |
City Skills Lesson
| _____ | Review stop sign procedures as well as right and left turns- On turns, the student must check for pedestrians before the last vehicle passes, not after. Before a turn, have the student initiate their correct turn signal (either right or left) and check the rear-view mirror for the vehicle behind you to make sure they notice you are slowing down. Slow to 5-10 mph, checking again for pedestrians, get off the brake, then turn the wheel and accelerate on the way out of the turn at its apex to help straighten out the vehicle until reaching the speed limit. Check for traffic behind you before half of a block. Review “stop and go” vs. “stop and wait” stop sign procedures at intersections. Be sure all students creep up enough to see past parked cars before proceeding. |
| _____ | Explain school zones and bus signals- Make sure the student adjusts their speed in an active school zone and understands yielding when around a school bus. |
| _____ | Multiple traffic light intersections- Explain turn arrows and multiple traffic lights as well as lanes. Caution the student to yield at left-only lanes with solid green lights (no turn arrows), or blinking yellow arrows. |
| _____ | Turn only lanes and double turn lanes- Solid green lights above or next to a left turn only lanes require yielding to oncoming traffic.DO NOT TREAT IT AS A GREEN ARROW! Have the student be extra tight on the inside double turn lane and extra wide on outside double turn lane. |
| _____ | Right and left turns at red lights- If the intersection allows a right or a left hand turn on red (left hand turns on red for one-way street), make sure the students check for traffic both ways with several quick looks right, left and across the street before turning and entering the correct lane of traffic. Always check for pedestrians before all turns. |
| _____ | One-way streets/ medium traffic- Students should practice driving on, and become familiar with, one-way streets. Reading all signs is critical on this lesson |
| _____ | Passing on a one-way road or a two-way road- Adjusting speed is important in passing. Since two-way street passing is dangerous, start on multiple-lane roads. |
| _____ | Review angle and perpendicular parking- Angular parking is a high risk and dangerous maneuver. Practice angular parking in the middle of a block; avoid practicing in parking spaces close to corners. |
| _____ | Lane changes and adjusting speed- Emphasize that the student should turn on their turn signal light first, checking both mirrors, and adjusting speed as necessary to safely merge into traffic. Don’t forget blind spots. The SMOG system is: signal, mirror checks, over the shoulder, go. |
| _____ | Demonstrate low gear hold- Have the student place the vehicle into 2nd gear or 1st gear while traveling on very, steep grades. |
| _____ | Make a U-turn- On a two way road, use the right signal, and wait if necessary on the right curb for traffic to clear, then signal left and sharply turn. In multiple lanes if signs do not prohibit a U-turn, get in the left most lane, signal, and turn, yielding to everyone. |
| _____ | Right turns with islands- On a right turn that has it’s own right turn lane and a curbed island on the left, disregard signs and signals on the left, obey signs, on the right. Notice if there is an acceleration lane (includes lane added and continuous lanes), a jump lane (short lane to pick up speed) or no lane at all that will require a stop if traffic is present. |
Freeway Skills Lesson
| _____ | Review lane changes- ANTICIPATION is the key word in this lesson. It is required of all drivers at these higher speeds. Remind the student that a typical lane change at freeway speeds requires acceleration and not braking and is accomplished at angles not with turning the wheel. Accelerate on lane change when ever possible. |
| _____ | Holding proper lane in heavy traffic- On freeways with two lanes, keep right except to pass, anticipate traffic entering the freeway and move into the left lane when possible. Also move left when emergency or police vehicles are on the right side of the road. On freeways with three lanes, take the center lane and keep pace with the prevailing traffic. Just follow along behind the vehicle inf front of you at a 3 second gap. When you “gap drive”, go faster when the gap increases, ease off when the gap decreases. This is the safest lane, and safest method of driving on a freeway. |
| _____ | Practice multiple lane changes in heavy traffic- Use a stair step method to change from lane to lane. That is a minimum of 200 feet before the next lane change. |
| _____ | Mirror monitoring- Have the student do quick and frequent looks (approximately every 3 seconds) into the rear-view mirror. By monitoring traffic coming from behind, the student should always know if he/she has an out (escape route) to the right or left, before a crisis occurs. |
| _____ | Practice freeway ramp techniques for entering and exiting/ double exits- For exiting the freeway- hug the right white line until the left wheel is out of the lane, only then start slowing to the posted ramp speed. For entering the freeway: Signal left, accelerate and go as fast as the bend and safety allows, then accelerate on the way out of the bend. Once the vehicle can be held straight, look behind to see traffic. Keep accelerating during this look. Then adjust speed to match the flow of traffic, cancel signal. A double exit is where upon exiting the main interstate, another turn will be necessary to follow the desired destination. Sign reading is critical, and knowing where to go helps. If north/south, east/west and directions in general confuse your student, suggest a GPS may be appropriate. |
| _____ | Practice turns on and off main arteries in heavy traffic- Remember to anticipate, match the speed of the traffic. Have the student adjust speed as needed. Watch the 2 seconds following distance very closely. |