No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic. Any person who violates any provision of this section commits a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense.
Source: L. 94: Entire title amended with relocations, p. 2230, � 1, effective January 1, 1995.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former � 42-4-105 as it existed prior to 1994, and the former � 42-4-107 was relocated to � 42-4-109.
Cross references: For the penalty for a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense, see � 42-4-1701 (3)(a)(II).
42-4-108. Public officers to obey provisions - exceptions for emergency vehicles. (1) The provisions of this article applicable to the drivers of vehicles upon the highways shall apply to the drivers of all vehicles owned or operated by the United States, this state, or any county, city, town, district, or other political subdivision of the state, subject to such specific exceptions as are set forth in this article with reference to authorized emergency vehicles.
(2) The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call, or when in pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, or when responding to but not upon returning from a fire alarm, may exercise the privileges set forth in this section, but subject to the conditions stated in this article. The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle may:
(a) Park or stand, irrespective of the provisions of this title;
(b) Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation;
(c) Exceed the lawful speeds set forth in section 42-4-1101 (2) or exceed the maximum lawful speed limits set forth in section 42-4-1101 (8) so long as said driver does not endanger life or property;
(d) Disregard regulations governing directions of movement or turning in specified directions.
(3) The exemptions and conditions provided in paragraphs (b) to (d), in their entirety, of subsection (2) of this section for an authorized emergency vehicle shall continue to apply to section 24-10-106 (1)(a), C.R.S., only when such vehicle is making use of audible or visual signals meeting the requirements of section 42-4-213, and the exemption granted in paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section shall apply only when such vehicle is making use of visual signals meeting the requirements of section 42-4-213 unless using such visual signals would cause an obstruction to the normal flow of traffic; except that an authorized emergency vehicle being operated as a police vehicle while in actual pursuit of a suspected violator of any provision of this title need not display or make use of audible or visual signals so long as such pursuit is being made to obtain verification of or evidence of the guilt of the suspected violator. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an emergency vehicle to make use of audible signals when such vehicle is not moving, whether or not the vehicle is occupied.
(4) The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons, nor shall such provisions protect the driver from the consequences of such driver's reckless disregard for the safety of others.
(5) The state motor vehicle licensing agency shall designate any particular vehicle as an authorized emergency vehicle upon a finding that the designation of that vehicle is necessary to the preservation of life or property or to the execution of emergency governmental functions. Such designation shall be in writing, and the written designation shall be carried in the vehicle at all times, but failure to carry the written designation shall not affect the status of the vehicle as an authorized emergency vehicle.
Source: L. 94: Entire title amended with relocations, p. 2231, � 1, effective January 1, 1995. L. 96: (3) amended, p. 958, � 4, effective July 1.
42-4-109. Low-power scooters, animals, skis, skates, and toy vehicles on highways. (1) A person riding a low-power scooter upon a roadway where low-power scooter travel is permitted shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties and penalties applicable to the driver of a vehicle as set forth in this article except those provisions of this article that, by their very nature, can have no application.
(2) A person riding a low-power scooter shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto.
(3) No low-power scooter shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped.
(4) No person riding upon any low-power scooter, coaster, roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle shall attach the same or himself or herself to any vehicle upon a roadway.
(5) A person operating a low-power scooter upon a roadway shall ride as close to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction.
(6) Persons riding low-power scooters upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast.
(6.5) A person under the age of eighteen years may not operate or carry a passenger who is under eighteen years of age on a low-power scooter unless the person and the passenger are wearing protective helmets in accordance with the provisions of section 42-4-1502 (4.5).
(7) For the sake of uniformity and bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, electric scooter, and low-power scooter safety throughout the state, the department in cooperation with the department of transportation shall prepare and make available to all local jurisdictions for distribution to bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, electric scooter, and low-power scooter riders a digest of state regulations explaining and illustrating the rules of the road, equipment requirements, and traffic control devices that are applicable to the riders and their bicycles, electrical assisted bicycles, electric scooters, or low-power scooters. Local authorities may supplement this digest with a leaflet describing any additional regulations of a local nature that apply within their respective jurisdictions.
(8) Persons riding or leading animals on or along any highway shall ride or lead such animals on the left side of said highway, facing approaching traffic. This shall not apply to persons driving herds of animals along highways.
(9) No person shall use the highways for traveling on skis, toboggans, coasting sleds, skates, or similar devices. It is unlawful for any person to use any roadway of this state as a sled or ski course for the purpose of coasting on sleds, skis, or similar devices. It is also unlawful for any person upon roller skates or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle, or similar device to go upon any roadway except while crossing a highway in a crosswalk, and when so crossing such person shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians. This subsection (9) does not apply to any public way which is set aside by proper authority as a play street and which is adequately roped off or otherwise marked for such purpose or to any highway or portion of a highway designated for over-snow use only by a local authority pursuant to section 42-4-106 (3)(d).
(10) Every person riding or leading an animal or driving any animal-drawn conveyance upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this article, except those provisions of this article which by their very nature can have no application.
(11) Where suitable bike paths, horseback trails, or other trails have been established on the right-of-way or parallel to and within one-fourth mile of the right-of-way of heavily traveled streets and highways, the department of transportation may, subject to the provisions of section 43-2-135, by resolution or order entered in its minutes, and local authorities may, where suitable bike paths, horseback trails, or other trails have been established on the right-of-way or parallel to it within four hundred fifty feet of the right-of-way of heavily traveled streets, by ordinance, determine and designate, upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, those heavily traveled streets and highways upon which shall be prohibited any bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, electric scooter, animal rider, animal-drawn conveyance, or other class or kind of nonmotorized traffic that is found to be incompatible with the normal and safe movement of traffic, and, upon such a determination, the department of transportation or local authority shall erect appropriate official signs giving notice of the prohibition; except that, with respect to controlled access highways, section 42-4-1010 (3) applies. When the official signs are erected, a person shall not violate any of the instructions contained on the official signs.
(12) The parent of any child or guardian of any ward shall not authorize or knowingly permit any child or ward to violate any provision of this section.
(13) (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (13), any person who violates a provision of this section commits a class B traffic infraction.
(b) Any person who violates subsection (6.5) of this section commits a class A traffic infraction.
Source: L. 94: Entire title amended with relocations, p. 2232, � 1, effective January 1, 1995. L. 2007: (6.5) added and (13) amended, p. 1481, � 2, effective July 1. L. 2009: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (6.5), (7), and (11) amended, (HB 09-1026), ch. 281, p. 1270, � 35, effective October 1. L. 2019: (7) and (11) amended, (HB 19-1221), ch. 271, p. 2558, � 3, effective May 23. L. 2022: (9) amended, (HB 22-1046), ch. 94, p. 452, � 3, effective April 12.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former � 42-4-107 as it existed prior to 1994, and the former � 42-4-109 was relocated to � 42-4-111.
Cross references: For use of snowmobiles on highways, see �� 33-14-110 to 33-14-112; for the penalties and surcharges for violations of subsections (13)(a) and (13)(b), see � 42- 4-1701 (4)(a)(I)(C).