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State Laws & Funding
Colorado
Below is a list of the key highway safety laws in Colorado. For more information, contact the Colorado Office of Transportation Safety.
| No state law |
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Handheld Ban | All Cell Phone Ban | Text Messaging Ban | Crash Data |
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| School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | All Drivers | School Bus Drivers | Novice Drivers | |||||
| <18 (Primary) |
Yes (Primary) |
Covered under all driver ban | Yes | ||||||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Child Restraint Required unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Adult Safety Belt Permissible unless indicated, # refers to Yrs.(Lbs.) |
Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| <1 (and <20) in rear-facing infant seat in rear seat if available; 1 - 3 (and 20 - 40) in forward-facing child safety seat; 4 - 7 (and <55") in booster seat (eff. 8/10) | 8 - 15 (or >55") (eff. 8/10) |
$82 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Per Se Laws for Drugs (Forbidding Prohibited Substances in Driver's Body) | DEC/DRE Programs (Providing Law Enforcement Training) |
| Yes | |
Source: State Highway Safety Offices.
| Admin. License Suspen- sion on 1st Offense |
Limited Driving Privileges During Suspension | Inc. Penalty for High BAC | Open Container Laws | Repeat Offender Laws | Vehicle and License Plate Sanctions | Ignition Interlocks | Alcohol Exclusion Laws Limiting Treatment Opportunity | |
| 3 months | Yes | .17 | Yes | Yes | Highly incentivized for all convictions | |||
Sources: Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Learner Stage | Intermediate Stage | Full Privilege Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Required Supervised Driving Hours (Night Hours) |
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| Min. Age (Yrs./ Mos.) |
Min. Dura- tion (Mos.) |
Min. Age (Yrs./Mos.) |
Night- time Driving Restriction |
Passenger Restriction* (* family members exempt) |
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| 15 (w/ driver's ed., classroom & behind-the-wheel course) 15 / 6 (w/ defensive driving course) 16 (w/out driver's ed.) |
12 | 16 | Midnight - 5 a.m. | First 6 mos.–no pass. <21; second 6 mos.–no more than one pass. <21* (secondarily enforced) |
17 | 50 (10) | |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Motorcyclists | Bicyclists | ||
| Universal Helmet Law (Year Enacted) | Partial Law | Universal Helmet Law Repealed | |
| <18 if they are operating or riding with another operator under 18 | 1977 | ||
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Length of Regular Renewal Cycle (Yrs.) | Provisions for Mature Drivers |
| 10 | Renewal every 5 yrs. for >61; no electronic renewal for >66; >66 renewing by mail must have licensed physician or optometrist certify passage of vision exam given within the prior six months |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Type of Law | Who is Covered (Yrs.) | In What Seat | Maximum Fine 1st Offense |
| Secondary | >18 | Front | $72 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Has not yet enacted legislation affirmatively permitting Segway use on public ways. |
Sources: Segway LLC and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Checkpoints Conducted? | Comments |
| Yes | Once or twice a month |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Rural Interstates | Urban Interstates | Other Limited Access Roads | |||
| Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
Cars (mph) |
Trucks (mph) |
| 75 | 75 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
Sources: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| State Law | Violations | Location | Citation Issued To / Liability |
Image / Privacy | Penalties (Traditional Penalties) | Defenses |
| Permitted | Any violation (except speed) | Various | Registered owner / Driver | Tag and driver | $75 for red light ($111; 4 points and $11 surcharge) |
Driver not owner |
| Speed | Various construction zones, school zones, residential areas or adjacent to municipal park | $40 max.; $80 in school zones; no points or record; warning only for 1st offense if w/in 10 mph of limit ($39; 4 points and surcharge) |
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Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and State Highway Safety Offices.
| Multiple of Original Fine | Violations Affected | Workers Must Be Present | |
| Double | All | No | |
Sources: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and State Highway Safety Offices.