In a piece from The Greeley Tribune, we learn that since Colorado’s new distracted driving law went into effect on January 1, 2025, police have ticketed 206 drivers for violating the ban on cellphone use while driving. The law prohibits handling a phone while behind the wheel unless you’re parked or using hands-free tech. First offense? That’s gonna be a $75 reminder to get your act together. The goal? To address the very real — and deadly — problem of distracted driving, which has claimed over 6,000 lives nationwide in just three years, including 213 in Colorado. For once, this isn’t some bloated government boondoggle. It’s common sense, enforced.
The Bullet Point Brief
- 206 tickets in six months: That’s not a cash grab — that’s a wake-up call. Drivers can’t put the damn phone down, so now there’s a price for it.
- $75 is the first slap: If you’re dumb enough to keep scrolling TikTok while rolling through traffic, expect to pay more on round two.
- 6,000+ deaths nationwide: Distracted driving is a real killer — not just a buzzword. Colorado’s 213 deaths since 2019 should’ve been the only stat we needed.
- Law = parked or hands-free: You can still use the phone — just don’t be the moron weaving through traffic while watching cat videos.
- Cops are actually enforcing: No more warnings. They’re writing tickets, and they should be. A law without enforcement is just a suggestion.
My Bottom Line
Look — if you’ve read even half a sentence of The Scott Sheet, you know I’m not exactly on the “more government, please” train. I’m more like the guy driving that train off a cliff. But credit where credit’s due: this law is necessary, overdue, and damn effective.
Distracted driving isn’t a theory. It’s not a think tank talking point or a grant-funded academic abstraction. It’s the kind of thing that kills someone’s kid in a crosswalk. It’s the reason your neighbor’s F-150 plowed through a red light because he was checking his fantasy football lineup.
I’m glad Colorado’s enforcing this. I don’t care if you’re reading The Scott Sheet while driving (flattered, really) — do it when the car is in PARK. Because, as good as our hot takes are, they’re not worth dying (or killing someone else) for.
This isn’t about control — it’s about common decency. We’ve all seen it: heads down, eyes off the road, one hand on the wheel, the other firing off emojis. It’s an epidemic. And finally, finally, government said, “Hey, maybe let’s stop killing people for notifications.”
So yeah, give out those tickets. Keep doing it. Because if a $75 sting saves a life, that’s one piece of government action I’ll get behind — all the way.
