Two New Transportation Laws

Could Affect How You Drive


This article was written by Adam Alban with the State Office of Risk Management (SORM) and copied from the June 2024 Peak Safety Newsletter. Are you interested in receiving the newsletter? Use the following link to subscribe to SORM New View Safety.


A busy 2024 legislative session has passed two new laws that could change the look and the way many Coloradoans drive starting this summer.

 

First, after many attempts in the legislature, a bill prohibiting use of phones and other electronic devices while driving passed on the last day of the legislative session. The bill makes exceptions for hands free devices and for emergency/first responders. Basically, the law bans devices in your hands while operating a vehicle. Drivers may use a device while parked.

 

The law is in response to the rising number of traffic accidents and fatalities caused by distracted driving. A CDOT survey from last year found that 76% of Coloradoans say they use their phone while driving. Distracted driving is now the third leading cause of crashes in Colorado according to CDOT with 718fatalities caused by this unsafe behavior between 2012 and 2022. Punishment for violating this secondary offense law ranges from a $75 fine and 2 points on your license for first time offenders to $250 and 4 points for repeat violators. Violators may get the citation waived if they can prove to the court that they have purchased a hands free system for their device.

 

CDOT and Colorado State Patrol have said they will start a distracted driving safety campaign to alert Colorado drivers to this new rule which goes into effect on January 01, 2025. This law will save lives just as the law mandating seat belt use has done. The new rule will be a big change for some drivers. However, every second you do not have your eyes on the roadway increases the chances of you getting into a collision resulting in financial cost as well as possible injury or even death to you or others. It’s time to put the devices down while driving.

 

A second bill legalizing “lane filtering” was signed into law on April 04 and will go into effect on August 07, 2024. Lane filtering allows motorcycles to pass between vehicles stopped on our roads such as at a red light. Lane filtering is different from lane splitting which is when motorcycles travel between cars while the cars are moving. Lane splitting which you may have seen if you’ve ever driven in California is still illegal in Colorado. Here are some details to the new law:

 

  • Other vehicles must be stopped before driving between them.
  • Conditions must allow the motorcyclist to safely pass the other vehicles including there being enough room between the cars to permit travel.
  • Themotorcclemanoteceed15mphhenpassing
  • The motorcyclist must stop passing when the other vehicles begin to move.
  • Motorcyclists are still not allowed to drive on the right hand shoulder or on the left of a vehicle if the left lane is oncoming traffic.

 

There are a few reasons for the new rule. First, it hopes to ease traffic congestion by keeping motorcycles moving. It also helps air quality by keeping motorcycles from idling. Finally, it may seem counterintuitive but studies have shown that lane filtering reduces the amount of motorcycle/car collisions at intersections. This is especially true for incidents where motorcyclists are hit from behind.

 

An interesting thing about this new rule is that it sunsets or ends on September01, 2027. CDOT will issue a report in early 2027 advocating for the extension or repeal of this law depending on what their ongoing studies show. It will definitely be a change but don’t be surprised when a motorcycle drives past you while stopped in traffic this summer.

These new rules will hopefully change our driving habits for the better. The increasing amount of accidents and injuries to motorists and pedestrians that we have seen over the past few years has to stop. It’s up to every Coloradoan to commit to making our roadways a safe place to travel.