New Colorado Traffic Safety Laws Take Effect: What Speeding, Bike Lane, and School Zone Changes Mean for Colorado Springs Drivers

Colorado drivers are now operating under a stricter set of rules of the road. On August 12, 2026, six new traffic safety laws took effect statewide, following what AAA Colorado has called one of the most consequential legislative sessions for traffic safety in decades — passed in the wake of a year in which more than 700 people died on Colorado roads. Several of these laws were championed by families who lost loved ones in preventable crashes, including the parents of a teenage cyclist killed while riding to school. For Colorado Springs drivers, cyclists, and parents, three of these changes are especially important to understand: tougher speeding and passing penalties, a new statewide ban on stopping in bike lanes, and a major expansion of school zone protections.

1. Tougher Speeding & Improper Passing Penalties

Under Senate Bill 26-035, Colorado has raised the stakes for some of the most dangerous moving violations on the road:

• Improper passing in a no-passing zone now carries 6 points on a driver's license, up from 4 points under the prior law.
• Repeat excessive speeders — drivers with a history of going 20 or more mph over the posted limit — now face escalating license points and lose the option to simply pay a ticket by mail; they must appear in court instead.
• Driving 100 mph or faster now adds an additional 4 points on top of the underlying speeding penalty.

For personal injury purposes, this matters beyond the DMV point system. A conviction — or even documented evidence — of excessive speeding or illegal passing can support a finding of negligence, and in some cases negligence per se, in a civil injury claim arising from the same conduct. Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence framework, and a driver's traffic citation history can be relevant to establishing a pattern of reckless conduct.

2. Bike Lane Rules: No More Stopping, Standing, or Parking

House Bill 26-1237, the Transportation Safety Modifications Act, closes a gap that previously left Colorado without a specific statewide rule on this issue. Under the new law:

• Drivers generally cannot stop, stand, or park a vehicle in the portion of a roadway marked as a bike lane.
• Narrow exceptions apply — for example, briefly leaving the lane to avoid a traffic conflict, or to comply with a law enforcement officer or traffic-control device.
• Certain officers and agency employees may move attended or unattended vehicles blocking highway maintenance, operations, or traffic flow.
• Violations are a class B traffic infraction, with local fines that can reach up to $100.

Cities like Denver, Boulder, and Aurora already enforced their own local bike-lane rules; this law closes the enforcement gap in smaller municipalities across the state, including much of the Pikes Peak region. The same bill also updates roughly 90 Colorado statutes to replace the word "accident" with "crash" — a small but meaningful shift, since most traffic crashes are preventable rather than accidental.

3. School Zone Changes: The Liam Stewart School Zone Act

House Bill 26-1318, known as the Liam Stewart School Zone Act, is named for a Littleton student killed while biking to middle school in October 2023. The law significantly expands and standardizes school zone protection across Colorado:

• School zones are now generally defined as all roadways within 1,000 feet of school property statewide, with an exception for state highways unless otherwise designated by state transit officials.
• Existing school zones of 200 feet or more remain in place; local governments cannot reduce a school zone below 200 feet, and reducing any zone below the 1,000-foot standard requires a public hearing and posted signage.
• Automated speed cameras may now be used in school zones and along routes children commonly use to walk or bike to school.
• Communities can also designate additional "school streets" with extra protections for pedestrians and cyclists, including the ability to close certain streets adjacent to a school to regular traffic entirely.

Speeding fines in Colorado school zones are already doubled, and the expanded 1,000-foot radius means many more Colorado Springs streets — not just the block immediately outside a school — now fall under that heightened enforcement standard. Families of children hurt in or near a school zone should also be aware of the protections available under Colorado's child passenger safety law.

Other New Laws Worth Knowing About

Three additional laws took effect the same day, and several more are on the way later in 2026:

Sources: Colorado General Assembly bill records; The Gazette, "Colorado drivers face new rules after deadly crashes," Aug. 13, 2026; Denver7, "6 new Colorado traffic safety laws take effect, honoring families who fought for change"; Yellow Scene Magazine, Aug. 8, 2026; Summit Daily News / Aspen Times, "Advocates hope new Colorado driving laws will help save lives in wake of deadly crashes." Penalty amounts, effective dates, and bill provisions are current as of publication and may be subject to local interpretation or later amendment; verify current requirements with CDOT or a licensed attorney before relying on this summary for a specific legal situation.

What These Changes Mean If You're Already Injured

New traffic laws don't just change future conduct — they can also shape how fault is evaluated in a pending or upcoming injury claim. If a driver's excessive speed, illegal passing, or bike-lane violation contributed to a crash that happened on or after August 12, 2026, that conduct may now carry additional weight in establishing liability. If you were injured before these laws took effect, the prior version of the relevant statute generally still applies to your claim, but the underlying negligence standards remain the same.