Colorado Rider News and BikerDown.org are pleased to support and endorse a new bill by Sen. Lois Court called the Mobile Electronic Devices While Driving Act. We are supporting this bill because the use of mobile devices in vehicles while driving is one of the leading causes of accident and fatalities in Colorado. In January 2018, CDOT’s then-executive director, Shailen Bhatt, blamed last year’s increase in road deaths on an “epidemic of distracted driving.”
Colorado Rider News with the help of CORD will continue to keep the community updated on hearings and progress.
The following is Sen. Court’s complete Press Release. Also available for download by clicking here.
Sen. Court introduces bill targeting distracted driving
Denver, CO — Today, State Sen. Lois Court introduced the Use of Mobile Electronic Devices While Driving Act. Current law only applies to individuals who are younger than 18 years of age. If passed, Sen. Court’s bill would:
- Extend the prohibition to drivers of all ages;
- Establish a penalty of $300 per violation;
- Extend the existing prohibition of the use of wireless telephones to include all mobile electronic devices; and
- Create an exception to the prohibition for adult drivers who use a mobile electronic device with hands-free technology
The bill has received endorsements from the following groups:
- Coloradans Organized for Responsible Driving (CORD)
- American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE)
- American Automobile Association (AAA) of Colorado
- Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
- Colorado State Patrol Department of Public Safety
- Bicycle Colorado
- Bike Blue
- 39 local cycling business from across Colorado (full list available upon request)
- Colorado Bikers
- Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA)
- National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)
- Property and Casualty Insurance Association of America (PCI)
- BikerDown
- Colorado Rider News
- The O’Sullivan Law Firm
- Colorado District Attorneys Council
- Colorado Motor Carriers Association
The following spokespeople are available for comment:
Susan Dane
Coloradans Organized for Responsible Driving (CORD)
(720) 985-3949
Dennis Haberstumpf
American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE)
stumpandval@msn.com
Ted Heyd
Bicycle Colorado
ted@bicyclecolorado.org
Chris Satriano
Bike Blue
chris@bikeblue.org
Robert Balzli
Colorado Bikers
robertmbalzli@yahoo.com
Julie Hoener
Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA) and National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)
jahoerner@comcast.net
Laurie Easton-Montoya
BikerDown
laurie@bikerdown.org
Scott O’Sullivan
The O’Sullivan Law Firm
scott@osullivan-law-firm.com
Tom Raynes
Colorado District Attorneys Council
(720) 878-4088
tom@cdac.state.co.us
RJ Hicks
Colorado Motor Carriers Association
(303) 916-4414
ABOUT LOIS COURT:
Sen. Court is serving her first term in the state senate, after being elected in 2016. She served four terms in the state house, from 2009 to 2017. Prior to serving in the state legislature, Sen. Court worked on various political campaigns for decades and served in Mayor Wellington Webb’s administration in the 1990s. She is the Senate Democratic Caucus Chair and sits on both the Senate Finance Committee and Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee. She can be reached by email at loiscourt@msn.com or by phone at 303.866.4861
