Pueblo Personal Injury Attorneys Praise New Colorado Cell-Phone Law

It seems like every day we hear about another accident that could have been prevented if the driver wasn’t distracted by their mobile phone.  As if holding a cell phone while driving weren’t dangerous enough, now people are actually trying to text and send emails from behind the wheel. 

Only a year ago, a nine-year old girl, Erica Forney, was hit and killed in Fort Collins while riding her bike in the bicycle lane.  The driver of the car later wrote a letter of apology, in which she admitted that had she appreciated the risks associated with using a cell phone while driving, Erica might still be alive today. 

According to Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, distraction from cell phone use prolongs a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood-alcohol level at the legal limit (.08%).  They also cited that the number one source of driver inattention on the road is the use of a wireless device.  At any given time, ten percent of all drivers aged 16-24 are on their cell phone. 

It is because of these disturbing statistics that Pueblo personal injury lawyers, like many other personal injury attorneys in Colorado, celebrated the recent passage of a new bill in Colorado that would prohibit wireless telephone use by certain high-risk groups.  This includes drivers under the age of 18, school bus drivers, and motor vehicle carriers regulated by the public utilities commission.

However, like many other state laws concerning cell-phone use, the violation of this law in Colorado is considered a secondary offense.  This means a driver using a cell phone must first be found violating a primary enforcement law (such as speeding or running a red light) before they can be ticketed under the Colorado cell-phone law. 

While the new law does not take effect until December 1st, it is expected to be heavily enforced, particularly among teenagers.  The law makes texting while driving illegal as well, and bans anyone under the age of 18 from using a cell phone while driving. 

Violators of the new law can expect to be fined at least $50 for the first offense and $100 for a second offense.  Many legislators in Colorado believe that while this is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to address the problem of cell phone use while driving.  The supporters of this bill would really like to see a bill that bans cell phone use by all Colorado drivers.