Intersections are among the most dangerous places on the road for anyone outside a vehicle. A person on a bike or scooter doesn’t accelerate like a car, doesn’t have the same protection, and when stopped at an intersection, is exposed to distracted or careless drivers in a way that a driver simply isn’t.
Colorado’s Safety Stop law was designed around that reality. It allows eligible riders to move through controlled intersections differently than drivers — not to ignore traffic, but to reduce unnecessary time in the conflict zone when it’s safe to do so. It’s the same reason Colorado recently legalized lane filtering for motorcycles.
At The O’Sullivan Law Firm, we see what happens when insurance companies ignore this law. After a crash, an insurer may claim the rider “ran a stop sign” or “blew a red light” even when Colorado law said otherwise. It’s one of many ways insurance companies try to place blame on the victim. Understanding the Safety Stop is the first step to making sure that doesn’t happen.
The Safety Stop applies to people age 15 or older riding a bicycle, e-bike, electric scooter, or similar low-speed conveyance. (Riders under 15 may also qualify if accompanied by an adult.) At controlled intersections, the law does two distinct things:
At stop signs, Colorado sets a statewide reasonable speed of 10 miles per hour or less, unless a local government has posted a different limit. Some jurisdictions allow up to 20 mph where posted. But regardless of speed, the rider must still yield. If another vehicle or pedestrian has the right of way, the rider waits.
The most important word in the Safety Stop is not “go.” It’s “yield.”
“Insurance companies sometimes try to apply the rules that existed before this law was passed,” says Scott O’Sullivan of The O’Sullivan Law Firm. “A client who slowed, scanned, yielded and proceeded lawfully through a stop sign did not run a stop sign. But if no one pushes back on that framing, the insurer’s version becomes the story.”
Colorado State Patrol has been direct about the goal: reduce injuries and fatal crashes at controlled intersections for vulnerable road users.
The logic is straightforward. Intersections create multiple conflict points at once — turning cars, rolling stops from drivers, pedestrians entering crosswalks. For someone on a bike or scooter, every extra second spent in that intersection is exposure. The Safety Stop reduces that exposure when it’s safe to do so.
Similar laws exist in about two dozen other states. Idaho adopted its version in 1982. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration materials on stop-as-yield laws note that bicyclist injuries declined after Idaho adopted the law. Delaware’s later version also showed a reduction in bicycle crashes at stop-sign-controlled intersections. A 2024 study in Transportation Research Part C found that under these laws, bicyclists did not behave unsafely — and that education made a measurable difference in how both riders and drivers navigated intersections.
The Safety Stop is one piece of a much larger bike safety problem. In 2025, CDOT reported that pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in Colorado had increased 78% since 2015, while passenger vehicle deaths increased only 7% over the same period. CDOT reported that 2024 was the second-deadliest year on record for vulnerable road users, with 134 pedestrian and bicyclist deaths. For bicyclists specifically, there were 14 deaths and 224 serious injuries in 2024 alone.
Bicycle Colorado’s recent driver behavior study found that nearly 50% of drivers treated stop signs as yield signs — illegally. In 2024, Colorado State Patrol responded to 401 crashes caused by drivers at intersections, injuring 85 people and killing three.
This is why, after any crash involving a cyclist, one of the first questions should be: What was the driver doing? Did the driver actually stop? Did they look both ways? Were they speeding, distracted, or turning without seeing the rider? The focus on whether the cyclist followed the rules often distracts from the more important question.
If you’re hurt in a bicycle or scooter crash, the Safety Stop law may be central to the insurance claim. An insurer may argue you broke the law. That argument may simply be wrong. Every case turns on facts, but the right rule needs to be applied.
Key evidence in these cases often includes:
“The Safety Stop can completely change the fault analysis. An insurance adjuster who applies the wrong legal standard to a rider who acted lawfully is making a mistake, or, more likely, trying to pull a fast one. We don’t let that stand.”
The Safety Stop is Colorado law. A bicyclist or scooter rider who slows, yields, and proceeds through a stop sign has not necessarily broken any rule. Drivers should also remember that Colorado law requires at least three feet of clearance when passing a cyclist, and that turning right requires checking behind and to the right before moving, especially near bike lanes and shoulders.
The Safety Stop gives riders a legal option, not a guarantee of safety. Slow down, scan, and yield at stop signs. Stop completely before proceeding at red lights. Use lights at night. Be predictable. Don’t assume any driver sees you.
And if you’re injured: don’t assume the insurance company understands or will apply this law fairly. It may be one of the most important facts in your case.
Scott O’Sullivan has represented injured cyclists, e-bike riders, scooter riders, and pedestrians in Colorado for over 25 years. If you were hurt in a crash and want to understand your rights under the Safety Stop or any other Colorado law, call or text The O’Sullivan Law Firm at (303) 388-5304. The consultation is free, and you’ll speak directly with an attorney.
