Fitness to drive — Colorado Permit Test

Being a safe driver depends on seeing clearly, not being overly tired, not driving under the influence, being generally healthy and being mentally and emotionally fit to drive.

A car does not care how you feel, but every one of those states changes what you notice and how fast you act on it.

Being a safe driver depends on being able to see clearly, not being overly tired

Good vision is a must for safe driving, because you drive based on what you see.

Almost everything you react to arrives through your eyes. Poor sight does not feel like a driving problem until something appears too late.

Good vision is a must for safe driving. You drive based on what you see

You should have your eyes checked every year or two by an eye specialist.

Sight fades slowly enough that you adjust without noticing. A test is the only thing that tells you it has happened.

It is important to have your eyes checked every year or two by an eye specialist

A driver with a corrective lens restriction on their license must wear glasses or contact lenses while driving.

The restriction is on the license because the state tested you wearing them. Driving without them is driving on eyesight nobody has checked.

If you have a corrective lens restriction on your license, you need to wear glasses or contact lenses while driving

You may not operate a motor vehicle while wearing earphones, meaning any device or headset covering all or a portion of both ears.

Sirens, horns and a tire going flat all reach you through your ears first. Covering both of them takes away a warning you cannot get any other way.

Note — You may not operate a motor vehicle while wearing earphones

Earphones do not include hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices, or a device covering only one ear that is connected to a wireless device.

The rule is about covering your hearing, not about every piece of equipment. Things that help you hear are the opposite of the problem.

Earphones do not include hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices, speakers or other listening devices that are built into protective headgear or a device that only covers all or a portion of one ear and that is connected to a wireless device.

When you are tired your reactions and decision making skills are greatly reduced, so long driving periods should be broken into two-hour segments.

Tiredness creeps up without announcing itself, and the driver is the last to notice. A planned break is more reliable than waiting to feel sleepy.

Break long driving periods into two-hour segments

A driver who becomes drowsy should pull off the road and rest.

There is no trick that keeps a sleepy driver awake for long. Stopping for twenty minutes costs less than the crash does.

If you become drowsy, pull off the road and rest

Health problems as small as a bad cold, an infection, a stiff neck, a cough or a sore leg can affect your driving.

A small ache moves your attention off the road and slows one limb. Neither feels serious until you need that limb quickly.

Even little problems such as a stiff neck, cough or sore leg can affect your driving

Conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes and heart conditions can pose risks that make it unsafe to drive.

These are the conditions that can take a driver out of the loop with no warning at all. A doctor is the one who can judge the risk.

Check with your doctor if you think your health condition could affect your driving

You may not drive well if you are overly worried, excited, afraid or angry, and you should not give in to road rage.

Strong feeling narrows what you notice to whatever caused it. That is the moment a driver misses a pedestrian stepping off a curb.

You may not drive well if you are overly worried, excited, afraid or angry

What does the handbook say safe driving depends on?

Seeing clearly, rest, health and emotional fitness. A car does not care how you feel, but every one of those states changes what you notice and how fast you act on it. Colorado Driver Handbook, p.5: “Being a safe driver depends on being able to see clearly, not being overly tired”