Each year, the Colorado State Patrol conducts an awareness campaign on the Colorado Move Over law in an effort to reduce preventable crashes involving roadside workers, pedestrians, and stopped motorists on the side of the road. The agency has now reported its 2025 data on stuck-by incidents involving its troopers.

All 50 states have “Slow Down, Move Over” laws, yet according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fewer than 30% of Americans know these laws.

Looking at the 10 struck-by incidents involving a Colorado State Patrol cruiser last year, troopers analyzed the conditions, the driver behavior, and the safety measures taken by troopers. Here is what they learned:

2025 Struck-By Incidents Analysis

Main Causes

• Driver error (too fast for conditions) was the primary cause of 2025 struck-by crashes.
• Seven struck-by incidents occurred due to driver error during inclement winter weather.

Additional Incident Analysis

Nine out of 10 occurred during low-light and limited-visibility conditions.

Lane Restrictions in Place

Eight of 10 struck-by incidents occurred in a closed or partially closed traffic lane on an active incident, such as a crash.

Locations

All 10 struck-by incidents in 2025 were on multi-lane interstate systems (five on I-70, three on I-25, one on US-36, and one on I-225).

Vehicles Hit

Patrol vehicle types included marked Dodge Durangos, marked Ford Explorers, and marked Dodge Chargers.

In addition, troopers were found to successfully deploy advanced warning devices, including activated flashing lights and directional arrows. Troopers also wore their reflective vests during all 10 of these incidents.

Key Takeaway

One area for improvement was to use traffic cones to provide advanced warning before the cruiser's location.

Colorado Slow Down Move Over Law

In 2023, the Colorado Slow Down Move Over law (effective 8/7/2023) expanded to provide greater protection for all people and their vehicles on the side of the road.

The enhanced law requires you to move over for all motorists, including emergency responders, tow trucks, maintenance vehicles, and passenger vehicles with hazard lights activated. Colorado drivers have two choices when they see an emergency/tow/maintenance vehicle or passenger vehicle with emergency hazards on:

• Move over at least one lane from that vehicle.
• If they cannot safely move over, then they must slow down to a safe speed.

Safe speed means Drivers must slow down to 25 MPH or less in a 40 MPH zone. Drivers must slow by at least 20 MPH in a 45MPH or higher zone.

Failure to yield to a stationary vehicle is a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense and is punishable by 10-90 days in jail and/or $150 to $300 in fines, and three points assessed on their Colorado driver’s license.