What You May Not Know About Driving in Colorado

Whether you’re visiting family in Denver, Colorado, on vacation, or you’ve just moved to another major city in the Centennial State, you might be surprised to find out that driving in Colorado might be different than it was in your home state. Even for folks who have lived in Colorado their whole lives, there may be things that are unknown about driving in this state. While federal regulations for the roads and driving remain the same in this state, there may be some key changes to note when you go from driving in other places to making your way through CO as we note below.

Local Insurance Laws Matter

Depending on where your state of origin is, you might be used to driving without insurance if the local laws there permit it. You wouldn’t be alone if this was the case. According to Value Penguin, the percentage of drivers who are not insured is 13%.

According to the Colorado General Assembly, the minimum for car insurance in Colorado is $25,000 for bodily injury or death to any one person in an accident, $50,000 for bodily injury or death to all persons in any one accident, and $15,000 for property damage in any one accident. If your policy covers less than that, you may need a new policy if you’re moving to CO. Of course, if you’re just driving through Colorado to get to another state, you might not need to switch insurance policies but you should still be mindful of whether you’re breaking any laws while you’re in a new state.

Prepare to Pay Higher Rates

If you come from an area that has super cheap insurance rates, you might miss them when you move to CO. According to Forbes, $1,601 is the average cost for full coverage auto insurance on a national level. Policies with minimal coverage might not be as expensive whereas additional coverage could drive up the cost even more.

For those who don’t have auto insurance, getting car coverage in CO will up the cost in your budget regardless. Still, it’s less expensive than paying for accident-related expenses if you end up in an accident out of pocket. It’s also less expensive than fines you could expect to pay if you’re caught having less than the minimum requirement for auto coverage according to Colorado state law.

Car Accidents Happen

While no one wants to end up in an automobile accident, they do happen so you should prepare by knowing what evidence could be used in a case. In a truck accident case, driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data that the black box generates are all fair game for use as evidence. Other evidence like photos from the accident scene can also be employed for filing insurance claims and civil lawsuits.

To avoid an accident, you should ensure that your vehicle is well maintained from the brakes to the tires to the body of the car. You should also get your vehicle inspected on the schedule that local regulations recommend or require. Finally, it’s a good idea to follow local traffic laws and best practices to avoid a collision.

Buy Winter Tires

Moving from a warm, sunny state to Denver can be a rude awakening. When you make this move, you should plan to get your vehicle ready for harsh winter weather. From snow tires to weatherizing other aspects of your vehicle, this will make it safer to drive during the winter.

You should also know what roads or areas to avoid driving in heavy precipitation. When it’s freezing or snowing, some places can be unsafe. Locals can help you figure this out. Driving in Colorado is much like driving in any other state. The main differences are the state’s laws. Also, their requirements for insurance may deviate from the auto coverage requirements that other states have.