GEORGETOWN Colo. — Toward the end of a busy and frustrating holiday weekend for Interstate 70 drivers, the headaches started early Monday with an 11-vehicle crash closing the route to Empire.
There were more than an hour of delays for the westbound lanes until it was cleared. Not long after, snow picked up in the high country causing slick conditions.
Colorado State Patrol said many of the crashes troopers responded to this President's Day weekend were weather-related. In some cases, drivers were not driving appropriately for the conditions or did not have the right traction devices for their vehicles.
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Colorado's Traction Law is in effect at all times on the I-70 mountain corridor from September through May between Dotsero and Morrison. It requires all vehicles to have 3/16ths of an inch tread depth on their tires and at least one of the following:
- 4WD or AWD vehicle
- Tires with mud and snow designation (M+S icon)
- Winter tires (mountain snowflake icon)
- Tires with an all-weather rating by the manufacturer
- Chains or approved traction device
CSP told Denver7 it can be challenging to enforce the Traction Law after the conditions start to deteriorate. During that time, the top priority is to clear the road and get anyone injured to safety.
"During those times, if it's faster to get that person off the road into a safe place, and we're not going to be reporting on a loss of life, we would rather do that and forego that ticket than always sit there and write a ticket in a dangerous position," said Sgt. Patrick Rice with Colorado State Patrol. "If we have time, and we're waiting for a tow truck, and the opportunity presents itself where we can write that citation, then you'll be getting a citation."
The Colorado Department of Transportation tries to warn drivers early with sign messages, social media and local news stories.
“[We’ll] continue to message until people touch that hot burner themselves. They just don't believe that it's hot. I think that's the case with a lot of motorists is they don't think it's ever going to happen to them until it happens to them. And some, hopefully small, version, they're really not paying attention all the time,” said Sgt. Patrick Rice with Colorado State Patrol.
Denver7 requested the number of traction law tickets that were given out this weekend. CSP said it does not have the total numbers from the whole weekend just yet.
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