By Shannon Lukens for Steamboat Radio/Blizzard Broadcasting. Photo courtesy Colorado State Patrol.
Slow down in school zones. Colorado State Patrol says troopers wrote 1,326 tickets last year in school or construction zones, which have lower speed limits.
The county with the most tickets issued last year in Colorado was Eagle County, with 224.
Locally, Routt County had four tickets issued last year and Moffat County had three tickets issued in low-speed zones, so we were way down on that list.
Colorado State patrol says slow down, be patient, give extra space, and put away distractions, like your phone.
Press Release from Colorado State Patrol; Jan. 27, 2026.
Colorado Drivers Zooming Through Low Speed Zones
Troopers wrote over 1,300 tickets in 2025 in school or construction zones
(COLO) – School zones and construction zones have lower speed limits, traffic calming devices and several high-visibility warning devices for drivers for good reason. Kids’ and roadside workers’ lives are at risk. Yet, according to Colorado State Patrol data from 2025, troopers alone cited 1,326 people for speeding in construction or school zones.
“Kids, neighbors, and road workers count on all of us to care when we drive through these well-marked, obvious spaces. Currently, too many motorists are failing these vulnerable populations,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Taking this risk, by bulldozing through a low-speed zone, is uncivil and unsettling. A driver cannot assume that no one will be present in these low-speed zones, regardless of the day of the week or time of day. Follow the law because people’s lives depend on you.”
Speeding is a common form of aggressive driving and can occur on neighborhood streets as well as on busy four-lane highways.
“Speeding can be habit-forming, but it doesn’t make it excusable,” explains Col. Packard. “When you don’t drive cautiously and lawfully in school and work zones, you display extreme indifference to your neighbors and community.”
According to Colorado State Patrol data, 46 of Colorado’s 64 counties had at least one instance of a driver receiving a citation in either a work zone or school zone by a trooper. The top five counties with the most speeding citations issued by Colorado State Troopers in these low-speed zones in 2025 were:
- Eagle County (224), a 190.91% increase from 2024
- Adams County (171), a 60.5% increase from 2024
- Boulder County (167), a 12.5% increase from 2024
- Douglas County (92), new to the top five
- El Paso County (85), a 74% decrease from 2024 (moved from #1 to #5)
Troopers ask you to follow Colorado’s Hands-Free law and put away distractions. Drivers should look for mobile and permanent signs that prompt them to slow down or follow shifting lane patterns. Keep your cool by practicing your patience, and always leave extra space between your vehicle and other motorists, equipment, or people.