Statewide, car crashes caused by inattentive driving are down; in Montezuma County, citations for such are marginally up.
That might be because of the state’s new “hands-free law,” which went into effect Jan. 1 and made “holding a cellphone or other mobile devices while driving illegal,” according to a news release from CDOT.
“The law is intended to reduce the number of crashes that involve inattentive or distracted drivers,” it said.
In the first five months of 2025, CDOT reported 1,161 crashes caused by inattentive driving across the state.
That’s 19% down from the 1,432 crashes during that same window last year.
“This is promising news ahead of the summer driving season, a time when traffic deaths tend to spike,” the news release reads.
In Montezuma County, Colorado State Patrol was unable to tell how many crashes were attributed to inattentive driving. They did, however, tell The Journal that so far this year, there has been one citation in Montezuma County and four in neighboring La Plata County.
“Looking at the data, we had no traffic stops that resulted in a citation for inattentive driving in 2024,” said Wendy Forbes, the director of strategic communications and outreach at Colorado State Patrol.
Drivers “violating the new hands-free law” face “a $75 fine and two license suspension points for the first offense,” the news release said. “Repeat offenders face higher fines and more license suspension points.”
If first time violators prove they purchased a “hands-free accessory” like bluetooth headphones or dashboard mounts, that $75 can be waived.
