Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Did Colorado make texting while driving legal?

Via Drudge Tweet:  The electronic signs above Colorado highways offer a warning to drivers who reach for their cellphones: “New texting law fines increased to $300.

What it doesn’t mention: Texting while driving is now legal in Colorado as long as it isn’t done in “a careless or imprudent manner.”

The little-noticed provision softening the state’s standard is part of a new law that increased the penalties for a texting while driving carelessly citation from $50 to $300 and from one to four points on a driver’s license.

Before now, any text messaging or manual data entry by a motorist was prohibited. “The simple fact is that if you are texting while driving but not being careless, it’s no longer illegal,” said Tim Lane at the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council.

15 comments:

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Colorado - where CA leftist and East coast rejects come to ruin our state.

chickelit said...

@Renee: Remember these?

edutcher said...

Well, we are talking the state that still thinks legal marijuana is a swell idea.

ampersand said...

Personally I'd like the fine to be $1000 for driving texters. $400 to the state, $400 to the municipality and $200 to the cop. It's unnerving seeing someone driving in bumper to bumper traffic with their head down obviously clacking away. Don't take their phone away though, you'll probably grab another grand in a few blocks.

AllenS said...

They're smoking way too much pot in that state.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Oh yeah, Chickel. Of course.

One favorite bumper sticker is "Neditate" - (those crazy cool cat Nederlanders) I always wanted to get one and give it to my cousin Ned.


Smoking pot and texting while driving is a bonus.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'd like all texting related deaths to = death penalty.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Texting related fender benders = loss of genitalia.

ampersand said...

FTA To win passage, Court needed support from Sen. Owen Hill, R-Colorado Springs, who opposed the original texting-while-driving bill because it went too far. Hill, who is running for Congress, agreed to support the measure if it softened the language about enforcement.

If you are stuck in traffic, he said, it shouldn’t be a crime to send a text message to a spouse that you are running late. But if you’re driving carelessly, Hill continued, “you’re putting everyone else in danger and you pay the price.”


PussyWhip! It's not just a desert topping floor polish.

Rabel said...

It's a trap.

Allow texting but set up a huge fine structure for getting caught. $$$

Chip Ahoy said...

I didn't know any of this.

But I have been in cars where the driver is involved studying their GPS. Comparing the automobile's GPS with the one in another passenger's phone. Dueling GPSs.

That was the day the driver asked me, "Should I go over 100?"

Thinking it's not going to be my ticket and I would like to see that, I said, "Doesn't feel like 100. Sure."

So he kicked it up to 115 just for the fun of it. And that was a regular car. A Toyota, I think.

My truck would fly apart if I did that.

Cars today are brilliant. Everything's out of my league. Because I cannot feel the pedals. I scare the hell out of myself whenever I drive while passengers tell me I do fine. If they only knew. They'd never get in the truck with me. So texting? Forget it. Not possible. I'd have to pull over and give it full concentration.

I heard of people denigrate another by saying a guy couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. One day I had to actually stop walking to pass a guy a piece of gum. When I realized I can't walk and pass a piece of gum at the same time I cracked up laughing. How pathetic.

With practice I could probably nail that one. Life: it's a series of challenges.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Maybe while you're stoned you drive slow enough to text safely ;)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It looks like Rabel nailed it.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It's a money making scheme for the government.

edutcher said...

Lem said...

Maybe while you're stoned you drive slow enough to text safely ;)

As someone said, it must be nice living inside your head with Peter Pan and the Easter Bunny.