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Bicycle accidents in Colorado

Colorado gives people on bikes real legal protection on the road. Whether it was followed is usually the claim.

Reviewed by the editorial teamChecked 11 September 2026How we check this

The short answer

A driver overtaking a cyclist in Colorado must leave three feet, and must wait when three feet is not available.

The three-foot rule

It is not advisory. A pass closer than three feet is a violation, and a violation is evidence of negligence.

The doors and the intersections

Most urban bicycle claims are not high-speed overtakes. They are right hooks at junctions and doors opened into a lane. Both are the driver’s responsibility, and both are proved with the scene and the damage pattern.

Helmets

Colorado has no adult bicycle helmet requirement. As with motorcycles, there is no seat-belt-style statute that tells a jury what to do with helmet use.

The Colorado rules that apply

A driver overtaking a person on a bicycle in Colorado must leave at least three feet of clearance, and must slow down and wait when three feet is not available. Colorado Department of Transportation, bicycling rules verified 2026-09-11

Colorado reduces damages in proportion to the injured person’s share of fault, and bars recovery altogether once that share is as great as the fault of the person being sued — half the blame, where there is a single defendant. C.R.S. § 13-21-111(1) verified 2026-09-14

In Colorado, a claim for injury or property damage arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle must be brought within three years. C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n) verified 2026-09-11

Where this comes from

Every statement on this page traces to one of the sources below. Where the text was read somewhere other than the body that issued it, that is noted.

  1. Colorado Department of Transportation, bicycling rules CDOT states the rule; CDOT cites § 42-4-1002 while other sources cite § 42-4-1003 Official sourceChecked 11 September 2026.
  2. C.R.S. § 13-21-111(1) Subsection (1) read in full and cross-checked against a second statute mirror; both give the bar as negligence that was "not as great as the negligence of the person against whom recovery is sought" Secondary sourceChecked 14 September 2026.
  3. C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n) Colorado Legislative Council Staff, statutes of limitation summary Secondary sourceChecked 11 September 2026.
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