CO Safety Laws

Some of the most important information for Colorado drivers is the road sign and safety law information that is provided through the Colorado driver’s handbooks and publications. Understanding this information is essential if you wish to get behind the wheel of a Colorado vehicle. These laws only pertain to Colorado drivers, so driving out of state will require knowledge of the other states road signs and safety laws as well.

Colorado Road Signs

  • Not sure of the road signs and pedestrian signs used in Colorado? There is a full description and explanation of each used in the state provided within the Colorado driver’s handbook, which you can download directly from the web or you could simply pick up your copy from the DMV office nearest to you.
  • These handbooks are free online and provide you with the information that you will need in order to understand the various road signs in the state that you must adhere to while driving in the state. These signs help to keep you and other drivers and pedestrians on the roadways safe from harm due to traffic incidents.
Colorado Helmet Laws

  • Those who operate bicycles and motorcycles should always wear a helmet, but are only required to use helmets while operating a motorcycle under the age of 18. All other motorcyclists and bicyclists are free from this requirement.
Texting and Using a Cell Phone While Driving

  • All drivers operating a vehicle with a learner’s permit, no matter how old, are restricted from cell phone use while driving in Colorado. This ban goes to drivers under 18 with any type of license type, meaning that you will have to keep it put up until you have parked the vehicle.
  • When it comes to texting while driving, regardless of age or the type of license, you are banned from this type of distracting activity.
Use of Headlights

  • Colorado traffic law mandates that headlights must be turned on between the hours of dusk and dawn. They must also be turned on during times when your visibility is limited to 1,000 ft. or less due to bad weather or other circumstances.
  • When operating a motorcycle, headlights aren’t required to be on during the daylight hours.
  • When operating a snowmobile in Colorado, there must be at least a single headlight on during the hours between dusk and dawn, illuminating the path at least 100 ft. ahead or more, with at least a single red taillight visible from a minimum of 500 ft.
  • For bicycle use, there is only a white front headlight required during night riding.
Colorado Child Restraint Laws

  • You can order a child car seat for infants and toddlers online, but make sure you always check to be sure that the chair you choose is approved federally and within the state that you are in currently.
  • Any infant passengers with a weight under 20 lbs. under the age of one must always be securely fastened into a rear-facing child restraint system.
  • Any children passengers between one and four, with a weight between 20 and 40 lbs. are required to be securely fastened into a front facing child restraint system.
  • Any child 8 or under is required to at all times while riding in a vehicle to be securely fastened into a booster seat. If you have questions of whether the seat you choose is adequate or whether your child needs a child restraint or not, you can contact the Colorado CPS by visiting the site online at Colorado Child Passenger Safety.
CO Seat Belt Law

In Colorado all drivers and passengers in the front seat are required to be strapped into their seatbelts at all times. However, there are some exceptions to the rule, including:

  • Operation of vehicles manufactured earlier than 1968, which is when the federal seat belt law was created.
  • Passengers with any type of qualified physical or psychologically damaging disability that is accompanied with a medical statement that explains the disability and why a seat belt cannot be worn by the passenger.
If you don’t put on a seat belt, you are committing a secondary violation. However, you will only be cited if you are pulled over for a primary violation such as speeding or failure to stop.

Report Drunk and Dangerous Drivers

  • If you find that there is a driver on the roadways that appears to be under the influence or making dangerous decisions on the roadways, you should dial 911 or even *DUI to be connected with the law enforcement agency closest to you. You must provide a description of the vehicle, the number of the license plate, and the direction the vehicle was traveling. If you call in and it is found the driver is not impaired or driving dangerously, you won’t be penalized as the state observes the need to be careful over that of being right all the time.
Children Unattended in Vehicles

  • There is no Colorado law regarding children passengers left in unattended vehicles, basically due to the fact that there is little threat from the weather if a child is left in the vehicle while the parent runs in the store. However, if you feel that the child is in any way in danger, you should call 911 and stick around until law enforcement arrives.
  • The same goes for animals, as there are no laws regarding unattended pets in the vehicle, but if you think danger may come to the pet, such as a smoldering hot day or an area that looks unsafe, or even if it seems as if the pet is abandoned with the vehicle, you can call 911 or the local animal control agency.