In 2017, I worked closely with Colorado Senator Lois Court to draft and champion a bill that would have increased the fine for texting-while-driving from $50 to $500. A second offense and any offense thereafter would have been punishable with a fine of $750.
Sadly, the bill didn’t pass and the fine today remains at $50, which I believe is far too low to change behavior in our state… and we must change this dangerous behavior. This fall, Senator Court and many others are reviving the bill and the fight, and I will be working with Senator Court again to make sure that it passes this time.
Back when we drafted the 2017 legislation, my law firm, The O’Sullivan Law Firm, was seeing so many accidents related to distracted driving that I had become alarmed. Many of the victims were motorcycle riders. Because of that rising trend – and my desire to make a difference – I founded Rider Justice, an organization dedicated to championing bikers’ rights – on the road, in our culture and in the courtroom. Rider Justice will also be fighting to help pass this law.
If you’d like to be alerted to dates when the committee will be hearing testimony for this new texting-while-driving bill, please email Rider Justice at info@RiderJustice.com. I will keep a list of interested people who would like to attend hearings and possibly speak out against distracted driving.
Let’s do it this time! Let’s make Colorado’s roads safer for motorcyclists! For everyone!
