Colorado cops hand out the most tickets for mandatory chain carry violations at these five locations
The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) shared results from four years of enforcement of the state’s mandatory chain carry law.
This week, Colorado troopers named the five most common roadways where troopers and Port of Entry officers issued the citations for violations of mandatory chain carry law, based on data collected over the past four years:
- I-70
- Highway 160
- Highway 50
- Highway 255
- Highway 550
“Given that I-70 is the main route for delivering goods to the Western Slope communities and providing access to recreation in the Rocky Mountains, it isn’t surprising that proactive and reactive enforcement activities launch this roadway into the top spot for chain law violations. However, Port of Entry officers and troopers also enforce chain law on other highly traveled highways,” troopers said.
What Is Colorado’s Mandatory Chain Carry Law For CMVs?
When Senate Bill 24-100 was enacted in 2024, Colorado’s mandatory carry chain law was expended to include more roadways on which all commercial motor vehicle drivers are required to carry chains from September 1 to May 31.
Under current law, commercial vehicles must carry chains or ATDs on all the following roads regardless of current weather:
- All of U.S Route 550
- I-70 west of mile marker 259 (Morrison) to the Utah border
- Colorado Highway 9, mile marker 63 to mile marker 97 (Frisco to Fairplay)
- Route 40 mile marker 256 (Empire) to the Utah border
- U.S. Route 50 mile marker 225 (Salida) to the Utah border
- U.S. Route 160 mile marker 304 (Walsenburg) to the New Mexico border
- U.S. Route 285 mile marker 250 (Morrison) to the New Mexico border
‘The Colorado roadway with the largest number of CMV-related crashes remains I-70. The I-70 mountain corridor is the primary focus for enforcement, education, and safety checks. In fact, a review of runaway truck ramp usage on I-70 revealed that 65% of drivers who used a truck ramp had five years or less of driving experience. Crashes and runaway truck ramp usage pointed to driver inexperience and a lack of familiarity with driving on this interstate corridor,” CSP stated.