Understanding Colorado Traffic Offense Statutes

A guide to your rights when it comes to statewide traffic laws and penalties

If you receive a traffic citation in Colorado, your driving privileges could be in danger — especially if you’ve accumulated too many points on your license. Considering the effect a license suspension could have on your life, it’s important to fight the charges with help from an experienced traffic violations attorney. At The Orr Law Firm, we focus our practice exclusively on traffic offense and drunk driving cases.

Our Denver traffic offense lawyers have the specific experience, knowledge and training necessary to support you throughout both criminal and administrative hearings. No matter what, we always seek the best possible outcome for our clients — and often help them avoid or minimize license suspensions.

Traffic laws in Colorado

Whether you’ll be able to keep your driver’s license after receiving a citation depends on a number of factors.

Refer to the following pages for useful information about your situation:

• Habitual traffic offenses: If you are convicted of multiple major traffic offenses in a relatively short amount of time, you may lose your driving privileges for five years or more, due to being classified as a habitual offender. Learn more about what the state considers habitual traffic offenses.
• Minor in possession: Anyone under the age of 21 is legally prohibited from possessing or consuming alcoholic beverages in Colorado and throughout the country. A minor in possession charge could result in mandatory fines, community service, participation in a diversion program or drug or alcohol treatment and loss of license.
• Texting while driving: State law prohibits the misuse or irresponsible use of cell phones and mobile devices while operating a motor vehicle. The penalties for texting while driving include significant fines and possible points added to your license.
• Careless driving causing bodily injury and/or death: If you’re accused of engaging in unsafe or imprudent or careless driving that results in any bodily injury or death to another person, you could face serious criminal charges and severe penalties if convicted.
• Driving under restraint: It’s illegal to drive a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license — even if you’re unaware that your driving privileges were revoked in the first place. A driving under restraint (DUR) charge may be related or unrelated to DUI or another alcohol-related offense.
• Driving while suspended: Driving with a suspended license is also a substantial traffic violation. Conviction could result in an extended period of license suspension, steep fines and even jail time.
• Vehicular eluding: Drivers accused of eluding law enforcement officials with their vehicles could face felony charges, which come with fines in the thousands of dollars, license suspension and possible jail or prison time for those convicted.
• Vehicular assault: Operating an automobile in a reckless manner or while impaired or under the influence and that results in serious bodily injury to another person is considered vehicular assault, and is classified as felony in Colorado. As a result, a conviction for vehicular assault can result in prison time, thousands of dollars in fines and costs, loss of license and much more.
• Vehicular homicide: Operating an automobile in a reckless manner or while impaired or under the influence that results in the death of another person is called vehicular homicide, and it’s most often one of several charges an offender faces after causing a fatal drunk driving accident. A conviction for Vehicular homicide often results in a prison sentence for the accused. Learn more about the laws in Colorado related to this and other serious criminal issues related to alcohol consumption.