Colorado drivers could soon be fined for holding cellphones while driving
The State of Colorado is implementing a new law that will charge anyone who is caught with their phone in their hand while driving. The Hands-Free Law will start on Jan. 1, 2025.
The Colorado Department of Transportation, also known as CDOT, told CBS News Colorado's Your First Alert Traffic Tracker Reporter Brian Sherrod that this new law would decrease the number of crashes in the state. According to CDOT, there have been 700 deaths and 15,000 crashes over the last five years in Colorado. All of these crashes involve distracted driving.
CDOT tells CBS Colorado that distracted drivers pose a particularly high risk to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and bicyclists. From 2015 to 2023, deaths among pedestrians and bicyclists increased by 50% and 112.5%, respectively, while Colorado's population grew by less than 8% during the same period.
The State of Colorado will be the 30th state in the country to implement this law. This law prohibits anyone from using a mobile electronic device while driving unless they use a hands-free accessory. These include Bluetooth or a mount.
According to CDOT's 2024 Driver Behavior Report, 77% of Colorado drivers admitted to using their phones while driving, with 45% saying a hands-free feature in their car would stop them from using their phones. CDOT tells CBS Colorado people have what they are calling, 'an addiction', to always needing their phone all the time.
"People have a problem putting down that phone for 20 or 30 minutes while they drive to work," said Sam Cole, Traffic Safety Manager for CDOT. "That is dangerous. When you take your hands off the wheel to pick up that phone or take your eyes off the road to check that text, that is dangerous. That's what's causing a lot of these crashes on our roads."
Penalties for violating the new law start with a $75 fine and two license suspension points for the first offense. It takes 12 points for your license to get suspended. First-time violators can have the charge dismissed if they provide proof of purchasing a hands-free accessory. Repeat offenders face higher fines and more license suspension points.