Basic vehicle control — Colorado Permit Test

Your right foot should be on the brake before starting the vehicle.

If the car is in gear when it fires, it moves. With your foot already on the brake it does not get the chance.

No matter your make and model, your right foot should be on the brake before starting the vehicle

The steering wheel is always turned in the direction you want the vehicle to move, whether moving forward or in reverse.

In reverse the car swings the other way, which tempts people to steer the other way too. The rule is the same both times.

The steering wheel is always turned in the direction you want the vehicle to move

You have better vehicle control with both hands on the outside of the steering wheel, on opposite sides, at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions or the 4 and 8 o’clock positions.

Hands opposite each other give you leverage both ways at once. Low on the wheel also keeps your arms out of the airbag.

You have better vehicle control when you place both hands on the outside of the steering wheel, on opposite sides, at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions or the 4 and 8 o’clock positions

Grip the steering wheel firmly but gently, using your fingers rather than the palms, with your thumbs up along the face of the wheel, and never grip the inside of the wheel when turning it.

A thumb hooked inside the rim is broken when the wheel kicks back off a pothole. Fingers on the outside let it spin free instead.

Use your fingers instead of the palms of your hands and keep your thumbs up along the face of the steering wheel

To move off, look for a safe path, check for traffic or pedestrians to the sides and behind, signal, and press the accelerator gently with the ball of your foot on the pedal and the heel on the floor.

Pulling out is the moment you are least visible and least able to stop. The checks are in that order because the danger comes from behind.

Look for a safe path and check for traffic or pedestrians to the sides and behind

To stop the vehicle, check your mirrors for traffic behind, move your foot from the accelerator to the brake, and press with steady pressure until the vehicle stops.

Checking behind before you brake tells you whether the driver back there has room. Steady pressure gives them time to read your lights.

Check your mirrors for traffic to the rear of your vehicle

Where should your right foot be when you start the engine?

On the brake pedal. If the car is in gear when it fires, it moves. With your foot already on the brake it does not get the chance. Colorado Driver Handbook, p.6: “No matter your make and model, your right foot should be on the brake before starting the vehicle”