Monday, Dec. 16, 2024
Can you be ticketed for driving with a phone in your hand under a new Colorado law?
Colorado’s new hands-free law will prohibit drivers from holding a mobile device while driving beginning Jan. 1, with some exceptions. Using a phone with a hands-free accessory, such as a phone mount or in-car speaker system, is allowed.
A law enforcement officer must see a driver engage in careless driving while holding a phone to issue a citation. Repeated offenses may incur steeper fines and license suspension points. The ban applies even when drivers are stopped in traffic or at a red light.
Previously, the hands-free law applied only to drivers younger than 18. The new law also prohibits holding a phone while making calls, checking directions, watching videos and any other in-hand use. Texting while driving is already prohibited in Colorado.
A Colorado Department of Transportation survey in 2024 revealed that 77% of drivers reported using a phone while driving.
Twenty-nine other states ban hand-held mobile device use when driving.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Colorado General Assembly Mobile Electronic Devices & Motor Vehicle Driving
- Colorado Department of Transportation Colorado Hands-Free Law
- Corona Insights CDOT 2024 Driving Behavior Survey
- Colorado Department of Transportation Heads Up, Colorado! New 2025 law bans holding phones while driving
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