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Bill would reassign driving‑record points for common crash causes
Summary
Sen. David Clemens told the House Transportation Committee that Senate Bill 22‑43 reassigns points for a range of moving violations (including distracted driving, certain speeding bands, failure to yield and more) to better reflect causes of crashes identified by the Highway Patrol.
Senate Bill 22‑43, introduced by Sen. David Clemens, would reassign points on driver records for a set of moving violations that the highway patrol identified as common causes of crashes. Clemens told the House Transportation Committee the updated schedule places several violations into a three‑point category to consolidate enforcement and reflect crash risk.
The sponsor said the reassignment was based on Highway Patrol research and included offenses such as exhibition driving, failing to obey traffic control devices, failing to stop at a railroad crossing, failure to maintain control while distracted, driving the wrong way, following too closely, certain speeding bands (11–15 mph over the limit in 65+ zones; 16–20 mph in other contexts), open container violations, and failing to secure a child restraint.
Committee members asked why three points were used for the listed violations and raised concerns about insurance reporting and unintended consequences. Representative Koppelman and others suggested tying more severe point impacts to crashes that cause injury or a demonstrated safety consequence rather than to a standalone citation in every case. Clemens said he was open to clarifying language to ensure discretion and noted the Highway Patrol uses discretion in enforcement.
No committee vote was recorded; witnesses and committee members said further drafting could address whether some offenses should carry points only if a collision or other aggravating factor is present.
