With a new year comes new laws, and for local motorists, there are two new ways to be ticketed.
For the first time, a motorist might get a speeding ticket that arrives in the mailÂbox, but the driver might have no idea they had been seen by local law enforcement. Thatâs because, on November 13, the Custer County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance that gives the local Sheriffâs Department the power to use specialized speed guns and cameras to issue tickets that are mailed to speeding drivers automatically. Titled âEstablishing an Automated Vehicle Identification System,â the local law has a broad scope of powers that are granted to the local Sheriffâs Office based on changes to the state law that took place in 2024.
In the past, automated ticketing was largely prohibited, but the increase in trafÂfic deaths after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the state to change course. The goal of the new automated ticketing system for speeding violations is to bring down speeds on several of Custer Countyâs Roads. The roads listed in the ordinance for automated systems are Rosita Road, Copper Gulch Road, Colorado State Highway 96, and Colorado State Highway 165, along with the School Zone.
It is not clear when the system will be functional as the first 30 days of the system being used must send out warnings only. Tickets with the automated system are less expensive compared to a traffic stop.
The other law that impacts the entire state is not using cell phones while driving. The short version of the law is that it is illegal to use a cell phone in any way with your hands during the operation of a vehicle, including waiting at a stop light or stop sign. Using a cell phone while parked is still legal.
â Jordan Hedberg
(This article was originally published on January 2, 2025. Subscribe to the print edition of the Tribune so you never miss out on timely news that impacts you!)