On the first day of 2022, Colorado laws changed slightly to put more focus on punishing reckless drivers who cause car accidents, rather than penalizing drivers who make non-dangerous mistakes. Specifically, the law has been updated to prevent license revocations or denials for several reasons that are not related to dangerous driving behaviors.

Colorado will no longer revoke a driver’s license because the driver has:

• Convictions related to misusing a title, license, permit, or license plate.
• Certain misdemeanor convictions like underage possession of alcohol.
• Not registered their car in Colorado in time.
• Missed a mandated court appearance.
• Failed to pay traffic citation fees unrelated to an accident.

Even though the law has been changed to make it more difficult to lose your license for non-dangerous offenses, it is still possible. Each offense adds points to your license. If you get too many points at once, which accumulate across several years, the state can take your license away for an indefinite period.

How the Update Can Help

One aim of the law is to help keep safe drivers and in the economy. When someone loses their ability to drive, they also tend to suffer the risk of losing their jobs. Job loss due to vehicle loss is a compounding problem that will only threaten the individual with further financial struggles, which can push them toward criminal activities out of desperation. By removing some of the administrative penalties that can take away driver’s licenses, the entire spiral might be stopped before it begins.

The legal change should also encourage safer driving throughout Colorado. By keeping punitive focuses on unsafe driving behaviors like distracted driving and drunk driving, the state has said in so many words that such behaviors are less acceptable than other mistakes like forgetting to pay a fine or register a vehicle. If drivers in Colorado want to stay on the road, then they’ll have to be responsible whenever they are behind the wheel.