Colorado cops ticket 206 drivers for using cellphones

Colorado regulation enforcement officers cited greater than 200 drivers for utilizing cellphones whereas behind the wheel through the first six months of the state’s new ban on drivers’ hand-held use of telephones.

The brand new regulation — which prohibits individuals from utilizing a cellphone whereas driving until the machine is in a hands-free setup — took impact initially of 2025. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, officers issued citations to drivers in 206 instances statewide, in keeping with knowledge supplied by the Colorado Judicial Division.

The primary six months of citations mirror racial disparities — a problem that lawmakers have been involved about when the invoice was debated on the Capitol. Black Coloradans make up about 4% of the state’s inhabitants, however accounted for nearly 7% of hand-held telephone use citations, the early knowledge reveals.

“Sadly, we’ve not mitigated the systemic bias, and proof of that’s issues like this, disproportional illustration,” mentioned state Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver.

Amid considerations of pretextual policing, the brand new regulation handed with a compromise by which handheld cellphone use grew to become a secondary offense — that’s, it will probably’t be the primary cause {that a} police officer pulls somebody over. Relatively, officers can pull drivers over for different crimes, like weaving between lanes or driving unsafely, after which can add the cost of handheld cellphone use to that case.

The primary six months of knowledge additionally reveals a disparity within the variety of white drivers charged with handheld cellphone use. White drivers accounted for 79% of citations, however white individuals make up about 71% of the state’s inhabitants.

That hole might be attributed to an undercount of Hispanic drivers. Solely 8% of citations have been issued to drivers described as Hispanic, though Hispanic individuals make up about 22% of the state’s inhabitants throughout races.

And whereas white and Hispanic defendants are differentiated within the judicial system’s knowledge, a random Denver Publish evaluate of 20 instances by which the defendant was listed as white included 11 defendants with widespread Hispanic surnames.

Bacon mentioned she was inspired that the racial hole for Black drivers was not wider, and mentioned she thinks the info would present a bigger disparity if handheld use of cellphones was a main offense.

“We have been capable of form of preserve the flexibility to make use of it pretextually off the desk,” she mentioned. “It simply goes to point out there’s something mistaken — you will have disproportional illustration with something that has to do with the justice system.”

Offenses of the brand new regulation may end up in a $75 effective and two license suspension factors for a first-time violation and as much as a $250 effective and 4 factors for third offenses. First-time violations of the regulation will be dismissed if the individual ticketed reveals they’ve a hands-free accent or supplies proof of buy.

The hands-free cellphone enforcement has to this point resulted in simply over $15,000 in fines, the info reveals. Enforcement was heaviest in Jefferson County, the place 27 drivers have been cited, adopted by Arapahoe, Adams and El Paso counties, the info reveals. 13 drivers have been cited in Denver through the first six months of the 12 months, in keeping with knowledge supplied by Denver County Courtroom.

Sixty % of cited drivers have been between the ages of 16 and 35, the info reveals. About 69% of drivers have been males and 31% have been girls, in keeping with the info.

Within the 206 instances by which drivers have been charged with handheld cellphone use, the most typical different fees have been careless driving, lane-use violation, driving underneath the affect, failure to show proof of insurance coverage, and driving with no legitimate license, the judicial division’s knowledge reveals.