To promote road safety, CDOT alongside Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and families affected by motorcycle crashes assembled at CDOT headquarters in Denver. They highlighted the significance of motorcycle safety during May, recognized nationally as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. As reported by CDOT, they announced initiatives set to launch ahead of the peak summer riding season.
Launching simultaneously with the safety campaign, Colorado also initiated the Click It or Ticket statewide seat belt enforcement period. The move aims to remind residents of the state to fasten their seat belts. DJ Eipper, an assistant principal, is featured in the CDOT campaign advocating for helmet use, having his own life saved by wearing one during a crash near Carter Lake Reservoir. Meanwhile, CSP is renewing its focus on educating the public about the new legal maneuver of lane filtering, which was instituted in August 2024, with resources that include instructional videos available on the CSP website.
According to CDOT figures, motorcycle crashes led to the deaths of 165 riders last year, marking a new high in Colorado. The traction this issue has gained prompted the inspiring establishment of The Kolby Tyler Spring Movement, following the tragic 2021 death of Kolby Tyler Spring due to a distracted driver. Cassandra Spring, Kolby's mother, shared with CDOT, “We miss Kolby every day. Through this movement, we hope to create opportunities for other kids to enjoy outdoor activities as much as he did.”
CDOT's ongoing efforts also include warning drivers to exercise extra caution around motorcycles, especially at intersections where motorcycles are most exposed to potential collisions. Motorcycles, accounting for only 3% of vehicles on the road, were involved in nearly one-quarter of all traffic deaths in the state. Darrell Lingk from CDOT's Office of Transportation Safety brought attention to this issue, stating, “Motorcyclists can be hard to see due to their small size," as per CDOT, thus the importance of drivers being especially vigilant to avoid pulling out in front of motorcycles.
Lane filtering, now a legal practice as long as certain conditions are met, like traffic being fully stopped and the motorcyclist not exceeding 15 MPH, aims to reduce motorcycle casualties. This adjustment in the law has been credited with a 10% reduction in motorcycle deaths compared to this time in 2024. The rules for lane filtering can be found in more detail on the CDOT website, along with information on how lane splitting, which differs from lane filtering, continues to remain illegal.
