We support reducing distracted driving

YES on Senate Bill 012

The latest: the bill passed on the Senate floor by a vote of 26-9. It now heads to the House of Representatives. It will be assigned to a committee in the days to come. 

Bicycle Colorado is proud to support Senate Bill 19-012, aimed at decreasing distracted driving throughout Colorado. Addressing this issue is critical to improving the safety of our roads for all users. We need your help!

This issue and bill relate directly to Coloradans’ health and safety. Data from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) indicates that 620 people died on Colorado roads in 2018 alone. Moreover, between 2012 and 2016, approximately 57,300 distracted-driving crashes occurred with an average of 40 distracted-distracted driving crashes occurring daily in 2016. Forty per day.

Current law prohibits the use of cellular phones while driving only for individuals who are under 18. Senate bill 19-012:

• Extends the prohibition to drivers of all ages;

• Extends the existing prohibition of the use of wireless telephones to include all mobile electronic devices; and

• Establishes the penalties as $50 and 2 points for a first violation, $150 and 4 points for a second violation, and $300 and 4 points for a third or subsequent violation

• Creates an exception to the prohibition of the use of mobile electronic devices for drivers who use a mobile electronic device while a hands-free accessory is engaged; and
• Repeals a sentence enhancement for a violation that causes bodily injury or death.

We believe SB 19-012 is critical to improving the safety of all road users, especially vulnerable users such as bicyclists and pedestrians, and we are committed to seeing it pass through the legislature. Please reach out and let your senators know that this bill is critical to addressing our state’s rising crash and fatality rates but more so, ensuring the safety of Coloradans and visitors who travel on our state’s roads.

Protect vulnerable road users

SB 19-175, the “Serious Bodily Injury Vulnerable Road User Penalties” Bill, was introduced in the Senate.

The latest: The bill will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 18. Your senators need to hear from you! Senator Mike Foote introduced the bill on Friday, March 1. 

Senate Bill 19-175 will make careless driving that seriously injures a vulnerable road user–including bicyclists, pedestrians, maintenance workers, those providing emergency services and more–a class 1 traffic misdemeanor. If signed into law, the bill will further discourage careless driving on our roadways by allowing the court to require the violator to attend a driver improvement course, and to require the violator to perform useful public service. The bill also subjects a violator to a restitution order and a license suspension of one year, though violators can apply for a restricted license to drive a motor vehicle to and from his or her place of employment or to perform duties within the course of his or her employment.

This bill will protect people who ride and walk in Colorado. Increased penalties for careless driving help deter unsafe behavior behind the wheel and make our roads safer for everyone. 

Bicycle Colorado is proud to have worked directly on the drafting of this bill alongside Senator Mike Foote and Representative Dylan Roberts.

Automated enforcement keeps bicyclists safe

NO on House Bill 19-1099.

The latest: The bill was postponed indefinitely by the House Transportation and Local Government Committee on February 20. Good news! 

Join us in saying NO to House Bill 19-1099, which aims to dismantle automated enforcement legislation which keeps our most vulnerable users on the road safer.  

HB 1099 “repeals the authorization for the state, a county, a city and county, or a municipality to use automated vehicle identification systems, including red light cameras, to identify violators of traffic regulations and issue citations based on photographic evidence and creates a prohibition on such activity.  The bill repeals the authorization for the department of public safety to use an automated vehicle identification system to detect speeding violations within a highway maintenance, repair, or construction zone.”

When properly initiated, automated photo radar systems and red light cameras are effective traffic-calming measures. Studies show that the severity of a crash is directly correlated to speed, and this is even more true for vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians–the faster an automobile is traveling, the more severe the crash. This can be deadly for those who bike and walk. A review of 28 U.S. and international studies found that in areas with speed cameras all crashes decreased between 8-49%, injury crashes decreased between 8-50% and fatalities and serious injuries decreased by 11-44%, and large cities with red light cameras between 2004 and 2008 saw a 24 percent reduction in fatal red light running crashes compared to those without.

We believe that automated enforcement efforts are an important initiative in slowing traffic and increasing safety for all road users. Though it can’t prevent all crashes from occurring, it can reduce their severity and protect vulnerable road users. That’s why we are firmly against HB 1099. We hope you’ll voice your concerns to your representatives.