Colorado It’s Time for a ‘Traction Law’ Primer

With the challenging travel conditions, time to freshen up on the Colorado "Traction Laws."

Travel on I-70 has been nothing short of chaos all week long as there have numerous closures for accidents, winter weather, and a couple of avalanches through in. If a road trip is in your plans it's best you understand the Colorado traction laws. As of last night, the "Traction Law" is in effect on I-70 in both directions from Vail and Copper Mountain.

It can be confusing but I'll try and keep this as easy to understand as possible. When the "Traction Law" is in effect, Colorado Department Of Transportation says “motorists will need to have either snow tires, tires with the mud/snow (M+S) designation, or a four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicle — all tires must have a minimum one-eighth inch tread.”

The next level is the “Passenger Chain Law.” When it's active, “every vehicle on the roadway is required to have chains or an alternative traction device."

Failure to comply will cost you. Fines can be as much as $130 or more if you're caught driving without adequate equipment. The fine increases to $650 or more if an accident occurs that stops traffic flow. Not to mention that driving with the wrong equipment, especially the correct tires, can be extremely dangerous. Did you know that "all-season" tires often require nearly twice as much stopping distance than snow tires?

Accidents are never a good thing but during winter weather wrecks can, not only hurt or kill someone, they can cause major delays. A wreck that may take minutes to clear up can take hours during winter weather.

You can access and download CDOT's "Traction and Passenger Chain Law Fact Sheet" by clicking HERE.

Credit: Out There Colorado