State Coverage Requirements
Coverage Type
Colorado Requirements
Bodily Injury Liability
$25,000 limit per person / $50,000 limit per accident
Property Damage Liability
$25,000 limit per person / $50,000 limit per accident
Collision
$15,000 limit
Comprehensive
Not required, but recommended
Medical Expenses
Not required, but recommended
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Not required
Uninsured Motorist
Not required, but recommended
Underinsured Motorist
Not required, but recommended
Property Protection (PPI)
Not required
Average rates vs National Average
Cellphone/Texting
Colorado
Explained
Hand-Held Cell Phone Ban:
No
No
All Cell Phone Use Ban for Novice Drivers:
No
Drivers under the age of 18 cannot use a cell phone at all while driving.
Texting Ban:
No
In Colorado, text messaging is banned for all drivers.
DUI Laws
Colorado
Explained
The legal limit for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC):
0.08
The legal limit for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) while driving is 0.08. It is a crime to drive with a BAC at this number or above it.
Increased penalty for high BAC:
.17 or above
There's an increased penalty for driving with a BAC 0.17 or above.
1st offense Suspension:
3 months
Administrative license suspension on the 1st offense: In Colorado, law enforcers can confiscate a first-time offender's driver's license for 3 months if he or she exceeds the legal limit. Limited driving privileges, such as to and from work, are permitted.
Ignition Interlocks:
Highly incentivised for all offenders
Ignition Interlocks: These are devices installed in the cars of convicted drunk drivers, which analyze the breath or the driver before starting the vehicle and disable the ignition if alcohol is detected. Colorado has made installing ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, even first-time offenders, heavily incentivized.
Repeat Offenders:
Yes
Minumum penalities for repeat offenders include suspension of driving privileges for no less than one year, impoundment or immobilization of any and all of the offender's vehicles, or the installation of ignition interlocks to all vehicles owned by the offender, mandatory alcohol assessment and treatment, and a sentence of at least five days of imprisonment or 30 days of community service for a second-time offender. Third-time and further offenders can see at least ten days of imprisonment or 60 days of community service.
Open Container Law:
Yes
Opened bottles of alcohol, such as resealed wine, must be stored in the trunk of a vehicle. No driver or passenger in a vehicle may have an open alcohol container.
Graduated Drivers License
Colorado
Explained
Learner Stage:
Age: 15 (w/ driver's ed), 15.5 (w/ driver awareness program), 16 (w/o driver's ed or program)
Min
Duration: 12 months
Supervised
Driving Hours: 50 (10 at night)
(Supervised driving, to be completed with a driving test): Individuals can begin driving with supervision for a period of time lasting a minimum of 12 months starting when they are 15 (if they are taking driver's education), 15 years and 6 months (if they take a driver awareness program), or 16 (if they don't take any of these. In this stage, the new drivers are required to get 50 hours of supervised driving hours, 10 of which must be at night.
Intermediate Stage:
Age: 16
Night Driving Restriction: Midnight-5am
Passenger Restriction: No passengers under 21 for first 6 months, no more than 1 passenger under 21 the following 6 months
(Some limits are applied to unsupervised drivers in high-risk situations): 16-year-old drivers who passed the driver's test are now unsupervised drivers in the intermediate stage. These drivers are not allowed to drive between the hours of Midnight and 5am and they cannot have any passengers under the age of 21 for the first 6 months, and no more than one passenger under 21 the following 6 months. The only exception is family.
Full Privilege Age:
Age: 17
(Full driver's license): At the age of 17, Colorado drivers can now get a standard driver's license without restrictions.
Speed Limit
Rural Interstates:
SPEED LIMIT
75
MPH
SPEED LIMIT
75
MPH
Urban Interstates:
SPEED LIMIT
65
MPH
SPEED LIMIT
65
MPH
Other Limited Access Roads:
SPEED LIMIT
65
MPH
SPEED LIMIT
65
MPH
Page Source: ghsa.org
Colorado
Department of Insurance
Website: www.dora.state.co.us/insurance
Address: 1560 Broadway, # 850, Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone: 303-894-7499 or 303-894-7490 or 800-930-3745
Colorado
DMV Information
Website: www.colorado.gov/revenue/dmv
Phone: 303-205-5600
