DENVER (KDVR) — Do you regularly see drivers on Colorado roads going over the speed limit or using a phone? According to a new survey, these might not be so uncommon.
More than 33% of Colorado drivers in the Colorado Department of Transportation’s annual driver behavior survey said they speed regularly, and nearly half said they used a phone while driving despite the recent implementation of the state’s hands-free law.
CDOT released the survey, conducted by Corona Insights on behalf of the state, on Wednesday ahead of its Traffic Safety Summit, which showed, based on responses from nearly 1,700 Coloradans, some significant decreases in risky driver behavior. There are still some troubling indications, particularly, in some cases, among younger drivers.
“This research provides valuable insights into the behaviors of Colorado drivers,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “The results reveal areas of progress, ongoing issues and opportunities for education. These findings will help CDOT continue to develop targeted efforts that address risky behaviors and improve the overall safety of our roads.”
Speeding on Colorado highways
The survey showed some mixed results on how Colorado drivers behave when it comes to speeding.
While 18% say they speed most or all the time overall, 36% said they speed most or all the time on highways or interstates. Denver drivers skewed the overall percentage up, with 22% of metro area drivers saying they speed most or all the time overall, compared to 14% from other regions.
Drivers did tend to be more responsible on town or city roads, however. Just 10% said they sped most or all the time on neighborhood roads, and less than 20% said they do so on main city or town roads.
Phone usage post-hands-free law implementation
A new law that went into effect in 2025 states that touching or holding a phone in general without a hands-free device while driving is banned. While CDOT has reported a drastic drop in crashes from distracted drivers, it hasn’t stopped all drivers from using phones, according to the survey.
From 2024 to 2025, the survey did see a dramatic drop in respondents saying they used a phone to text and call without using a hands-free device: 46% in 2025 compared to 53% in 2024.
However, nearly 90% of the people who did use a phone without a hands-free device did know about Colorado’s new law and used their phones anyway.
Young drivers double some risky behavior
The survey put a spotlight on young drivers aged 18 to 24 years old, showing some stark increases in that age range when it came to risky driving behavior.
Among drivers older than 24 years old, just 18% reported using a phone without a hands-free device to send a message. More than double the percentage of younger drivers, 44%, said they did that.
Using cannabis while or just before driving was also a more common behavior for younger drivers, 17% of whom said they believed they could drive safely under the influence of it. Just 7% of older drivers said the same.
