Colorado State Patrol wants to keep teen drivers safe as they head back to school

Thousands of students will be in their new classrooms next week and many will be driving themselves to school. Parents, this is a good time to make sure your teen is showing safe driving habits before the big day and the Colorado State Patrol has some advice.

For starters, when you are riding with your teen, make sure they are keeping both hands on the steering wheel, cell phones should be out of their hands, and they are not taking their eyes off the roads. Troopers tell CBS Colorado that teens who are driving need to follow their driver's license law. This means you cannot have passengers in the car if you are not legally allowed to do so. 

Everyone should be wearing a seat belt at all times. For anyone driving to school, remember, you are driving through a school zone. Make sure you are driving at the speed limit, watch out for families and staff in the area, and never drive past a school bus with its stop arm out.

For many teens driving to school for the first time, you may feel eager or nervous. Here are some extra tips to help you on your big day. 

"Just take a deep breath before you get into the vehicle," Trooper Gabriel Moltrer with the Colorado State Patrol said. "Once you get in the vehicle, take another deep breath. Just try to be calm. Make sure you are being cognizant. Turn the radio down. It will let you think a little bit better because you won't have that extra noise in the background."

If you see anyone breaking the rules of the road, report to local law enforcement what you see. Get the person's license plate number, vehicle's make, model, and color, and a description of the person behind the wheel if you can.