Each state has laws and regulations that car drivers should understand before and during operating their vehicles. Colorado has its own specific set of rules for car drivers.
Automobile insurance requirements: All drivers must carry liability insurance with specific policy limits required by the state. If you’re in an accident in which you were at fault, this insurance will cover the affected driver’s expenses related to bodily injuries, death and property damage.
Mandated minimum coverage includes:
- $25,000 for bodily injury or death to one person per accident
- $50,000 for bodily injury or death to multiple persons per accident
- $15,000 for property damage per accident
Drivers without proof of insurance can face fines over $500, license suspension and community service hours.
While this satisfies the insurance requirements mandated by law, we recommend purchasing higher limits to protect yourself and your assets in accidents where the damages may be higher than your policy limit. Once your limit is exhausted, you’ll have to pay the difference out-of-pocket.
Here are some of the additional coverage options you can purchase to better protect yourself:
- Underinsured/Uninsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM). This coverage comes in handy if you’re in a collision with a driver with insufficient or no auto insurance. In Colorado, insurers offer UM/UIM coverage in the same amount as your chosen bodily injury limit. You can decline this option in writing.
- Collision coverage. This covers damage to your vehicle resulting from collisions with other vehicles or objects like trees, poles or walls.
- Medical payment coverage. This coverage helps pay for medical expenses for you or your passenger, even in accidents where you are at fault.
DUI laws: Colorado categorizes offenses related to driving under the influence of drugs or controlled substances into two categories:
- Driving Under Influence (DUI): This offense applies when your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level is over .08.
- Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI): This applies when your BAC level exceeds .05 but if under .08, or if you’ve consumed drugs. For those under 21, a DWAI can be imposed even with a BAC level of 0.02.
Reporting a car accident. Colorado law requires you to notify the nearest police or sheriff’s department if you’re involved in an accident that results in death or any magnitude of injuries to a person or causes property damage—which occurs in almost all wrecks.
If you don’t report the accident to the law enforcement and flee the scene, you could open yourself up to facing criminal penalties, which accompany serious fines, jail time, license suspension and more.
Using handheld devices while driving. In Colorado, adults can use phones for voice calls while driving, but they are prohibited from activities involving manual data entry, such as texting, note-taking or web surfing. When using headsets for calls, you can only use earphones or buds in one ear.
However, drivers under 18 are completely barred from using a phone while driving, except in emergencies, or to contact law enforcement or other public safety entities.