Colorado will soon have stricter laws designed to protect drivers and law enforcement on the side of the highway.
Beginning Aug. 7, drivers on state thoroughfares will be required to move over or significantly slow down when passing disabled vehicles with their hazards flashing. Colorado law already mandates that drivers move over if they see emergency vehicles, towing carriers, public utility service vehicles and cars to which chains are being applied.
Those who can’t move over must slow down to at least 20 mph below the speed limit.
“People dealing with an issue on the side of the road are in a dangerous position, especially our first responders and others who regularly are near live traffic,” said Shoshana Lew, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, in a Monday news release. “It is up to all of us, in every situation, to make the road as safe as possible when we see a vehicle pulled over on a shoulder. Move over and slow down for everyone, every time.”
HB23-1123, signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis earlier this year, comes into effect a year after Colorado set a high mark for roadway fatalities.
Penalties for failing to move over or slow down for a disabled vehicle include a Class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense, with a possible fine of $150 and a three-point license violation.
Colorado joins 19 other states that provide protections to all disabled vehicles, according to CDOT.
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