Colorado to join 9 other states with 'Slow Down, Move Over' law. Here's what it means.

Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·2 min read
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Slowing down and moving over a lane when you see a vehicle on the side of the road won't be just common courtesy come August. It will be the law.

Colorado will join nine other states with similar so-called "Slow Down, Move Over" laws after Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 23-1123 on Wednesday.

High death toll prompted passage of the bill in Colorado

  • With 745 deaths, 2022 marked the deadliest year on Colorado roads since 1981.

  • On average, nearly 350 people across the country are struck and killed every year while outside a disabled vehicle.

  • On average, 23 roadside workers lose their lives annually in the U.S.

  • Tow truck driving is one of the deadliest lines of work with a death rate 15 times more than every other private industry combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What will the new law require you to do?

  • Move at least one lane away from a stationary vehicle with flashing hazard lights or warning lights.

  • If you can't move over, you must slow down to at least 25 mph on roads with a 45 mph or less speed limit.

  • On roads with speed limits of 45 mph or more, you must slow down to 20 mph slower than the speed limit.

  • The law also clarifies that you must move over for "public utility service vehicles operated by the public utility or by an authorized contractor of the public utility." Current law also already requires you to move over for authorized emergency vehicles, stationary towing carrier vehicles and vehicles to which chains are being put on.

"Anybody who's ever suffered a breakdown at the roadside will tell you just how scary it can be waiting for help as traffic whips by at highway speeds just inches away," Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA, said in a news release. "This law takes a big step for traffic safety equity by making sure Coloradans look out for one another. That's always been the right thing to do, and we're grateful it's now the law, too.''

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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado to join 9 other states with 'Slow Down, Move Over' law