Coloradans — and our many lovely visitors — expect and grudgingly tolerate stop-and-go traffic in the mountains on ski weekends. But every time it snows those jams turn into blockages that snarl not just the interstate but nearby mountain towns as on-ramps back up to street lights, block business entrances and cause headaches for locals.<\/p>\n
One small change — allowing vendors to sell and install chains along Interstate 70 — could help reduce the number of crashes.<\/p>\n
Dangerous winter driving conditions take our mountain corridors from tolerable to intolerable, from three hours in heavy traffic to a six-hour odyssey. Even four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive cars, trucks, and tractor-trailers can’t get traction if the road is pure ice unless they have chains or studded snow tires. That risk of losing control is why Colorado passed the vehicle traction law requiring a minimum tire condition and requiring commercial vehicles to use chains in slick conditions.<\/p>\n
Clearly, those laws are not enough. Over Presidents Day weekend, Interstate 70 and Vail Pass were, at times parking lots, at times completely closed and frequently unsafe due to slick roads and a lack of traction.<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 69<\/a> would add to our existing laws and make everyone safer and less miserable during ski season.<\/p>\n There are three major obstacles for drivers — whether they are in passenger cars or are licensed commercial drivers — to put chains on to give vehicles better traction in slick conditions.<\/p>\n The first is worrying about safety while stopped on the side of the road in hazardous conditions. Even a simple fender bender becomes a fatal crash if a pedestrian is involved.<\/p>\n The second is not having the right equipment (even though the law requires trucks and two-wheel drive vehicles to carry chains from Sept. 1 through May 31).<\/p>\n The third is a lack of knowledge about how to put on chains or even a reluctance to get out in the cold and mess with snow and ice-packed tires.<\/p>\n Senate Bill 69 eliminates all three of those barriers to safer driving conditions\u00a0and fewer winter-weather-related accidents.<\/p>\n Colorado would allow private companies to sell, install, and remove tire chains along mountain highways. The third-party vendors would have permits for specific locations that are deemed safe for pulling over and putting on or taking off chains.<\/p>\n Washington has allowed this practice for 20 years and The Colorado Sun reported<\/a> that it generally costs $25 to install chains on a passenger vehicle and $10 to remove, while large trucks are $25 per tire installation and $5 per tire for removal.<\/p>\n