Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents. This “distracted” driving can be anything from being too involved in a conversation with the person in the passenger seat, to loud music, to, of course, cell phone use. In 2009 Colorado Cell Phone laws were passed that banned texting, or “transmitting” of any kind while driving. For those under the age of 18 it banned cell phone use in general while driving.
Under this law you cannot text, tweet, send an email or post to your social media account while driving – and you shouldn’t even be considering doing any of those things!
The cost for violating the texting-while-driving rule starts at $50 for your first offense and grows from there. Even if that doesn’t seem like a stiff penalty to you, the larger cost of texting while driving could be a serious accident.
What you can still do under these Colorado cell phone laws is talk on your phone. These days most cars are equipped with blue tooth which makes hands-free talking much easier. However, Colorado has yet to go as far as some states, like Georgia, and will still allow you to hold your phone in your hand and talk while driving.
Even so, it’s important to remember that your eyes may be on the road, but if you’re on the phone chances are your mind is focused on your conversation. If that’s the case then you are still driving distracted. When that happens you might miss your turn, not see a car pulling out in front of you, or worse, run a red light and cause an accident.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident that you think was caused by another driver’s distractions, give us a call. We’ll be glad to provide you with a free consultation to determine if you have a case.