Who goes first? Every Colorado right-of-way scenario, worked through.

Colorado does not codify a funeral procession right of way. No state statute gives a procession priority at intersections or makes it an offense to drive through one; some cities, notably Denver, do so by municipal ordinance. Treat a procession as ordinary traffic, do not cut into the line, and obey any escorting officer.

Searching the full text of Title 42 of the Colorado Revised Statutes for funeral procession returns only three hits, none of which grants a right of way. Two are lighting and equipment provisions permitting special lamp or flag use in a funeral or parade. The third is C.R.S. 42-4-1008(3), which requires vehicles driven in a caravan or motorcade outside a business or residence district to leave enough space between them for an overtaking vehicle to pull in, and then exempts funeral processions from that spacing requirement. That is an exemption from a following-distance rule, not a grant of priority, and Colorado has no counterpart to the funeral-procession statutes found in many other states. The Colorado Driver Handbook contains no entry on funeral processions either. In practice, processions in Colorado are commonly escorted, and where a peace officer is directing traffic you must obey the officer's directions like any other traffic direction; some municipalities, including Denver, have adopted ordinances giving processions priority and permitting them to proceed through signals behind the lead vehicle, so the rule can differ inside city limits. None of that is state law, and drivers should not assume a Colorado procession has statutory right of way.

On the immediate approach of an emergency vehicle using its siren or lights, yield the right of way, clear the farthest left lane where possible, pull as close as you can to the right-hand edge or curb clear of any intersection, stop, and stay there until it has passed. If you are in an intersection, drive through it first, then pull over.

C.R.S. 42-4-705(1) states the duty in full: upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle making use of audible or visual signals, the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and where possible shall immediately clear the farthest left-hand lane lawfully available to through traffic, and shall drive to a position parallel to and as close as possible to the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection, and shall stop and remain in that position until the emergency vehicle has passed, except when otherwise directed by a police officer. The clear-the-left-lane instruction is distinctive to Colorado and matters on a multi-lane highway: responders commonly run the left lane, so Colorado asks you to vacate it in addition to pulling right. Clear of any intersection is the other tested element: never stop inside the intersection. The Colorado Driver Handbook restates this and specifies the lights that trigger it, siren, air horn, and/or flashing red, blue, white or yellow lights, and adds the practical instruction that if you are in an intersection you drive through it and then pull over. Colorado's statute does not set a minimum following distance behind a responding emergency vehicle in this section; see 42-4-705(2) for the separate duty toward a stationary emergency vehicle.

Yield, not stop. Yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing within a crosswalk, slowing down or stopping if that is what yielding takes. There is one place Colorado does demand a full stop: if the pedestrian has an obviously apparent disability, you must come to a complete stop before proceeding.

C.R.S. 42-4-802(1) frames the crosswalk duty as a yield: when traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway the vehicle is traveling on, or is approaching so closely from the opposite half as to be in danger. That last clause is the lane scope: the duty reaches across the centerline once the pedestrian is close enough to be in danger, but it is not triggered the instant a pedestrian steps off the far curb of a wide road. A crosswalk in Colorado may be marked or unmarked; the handbook states that a crosswalk is a marked or unmarked part of a road where pedestrians have the right-of-way to cross. Two companion rules matter on the road test: 42-4-802(4) forbids overtaking and passing a vehicle that is stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross, and the handbook adds that on a multi-lane road you must stop behind that vehicle or behind the crosswalk in the adjacent lane. Outside a crosswalk the burden flips: under 42-4-803(1) a pedestrian crossing anywhere other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield to vehicles. The absolute-stop duty is separate and is codified in 42-4-808(1): any driver who approaches an individual who has an obviously apparent disability shall immediately come to a full stop and take such precautions before proceeding as are necessary to avoid an accident or injury. A disability is obviously apparent if, for example, the person is using a mobility device, is assisted by a service animal, is being assisted by another person, or is walking with an obvious physical impairment. The handbook applies this to the white cane and guide dog and says you must come to a complete stop and let the person pass safely.

The vehicle going uphill has the right of way. On a narrow mountain highway with turnouts and a grade of six percent or more, the descending vehicle yields and backs to a turnout, unless it is more practicable for the ascending vehicle to back to one instead.

C.R.S. 42-4-711(2) codifies the rule: on narrow mountain highways with turnouts having a grade of six percent or more, ascending vehicles shall have the right-of-way over descending vehicles, except where it is more practicable for the ascending vehicle to return to a turnout. Note the two conditions built into the statute, turnouts present and a grade of at least six percent; Colorado's rule is written narrower than the equivalent statute in some states, which applies to any grade. The Colorado Driver Handbook gives the practical version for drivers without the grade threshold: when vehicles meet on a steep, narrow road that is not wide enough for two vehicles, the vehicle going downhill must yield the right-of-way by backing up to a wider place or by stopping and leaving enough space for the vehicle going uphill, except where it is more practicable for the uphill vehicle to return to a wider space or turnout. Section 42-4-711(1) adds the companion mountain-driving duties: keep the vehicle under control and as near to the right-hand edge as reasonably possible, and sound the horn when approaching any curve where the view is obstructed within two hundred feet, unless you are driving entirely to the right of the center of the roadway. Violation of the section is a class A traffic infraction.

Yield, not stop. Yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing within a crosswalk, slowing down or stopping if that is what yielding takes. There is one place Colorado does demand a full stop: if the pedestrian has an obviously apparent disability, you must come to a complete stop before proceeding.

C.R.S. 42-4-802(1) frames the crosswalk duty as a yield: when traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway the vehicle is traveling on, or is approaching so closely from the opposite half as to be in danger. That last clause is the lane scope: the duty reaches across the centerline once the pedestrian is close enough to be in danger, but it is not triggered the instant a pedestrian steps off the far curb of a wide road. A crosswalk in Colorado may be marked or unmarked; the handbook states that a crosswalk is a marked or unmarked part of a road where pedestrians have the right-of-way to cross. Two companion rules matter on the road test: 42-4-802(4) forbids overtaking and passing a vehicle that is stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross, and the handbook adds that on a multi-lane road you must stop behind that vehicle or behind the crosswalk in the adjacent lane. Outside a crosswalk the burden flips: under 42-4-803(1) a pedestrian crossing anywhere other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield to vehicles. The absolute-stop duty is separate and is codified in 42-4-808(1): any driver who approaches an individual who has an obviously apparent disability shall immediately come to a full stop and take such precautions before proceeding as are necessary to avoid an accident or injury. A disability is obviously apparent if, for example, the person is using a mobility device, is assisted by a service animal, is being assisted by another person, or is walking with an obvious physical impairment. The handbook applies this to the white cane and guide dog and says you must come to a complete stop and let the person pass safely.

Yield, not stop. Yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing within a crosswalk, slowing down or stopping if that is what yielding takes. There is one place Colorado does demand a full stop: if the pedestrian has an obviously apparent disability, you must come to a complete stop before proceeding.

C.R.S. 42-4-802(1) frames the crosswalk duty as a yield: when traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway the vehicle is traveling on, or is approaching so closely from the opposite half as to be in danger. That last clause is the lane scope: the duty reaches across the centerline once the pedestrian is close enough to be in danger, but it is not triggered the instant a pedestrian steps off the far curb of a wide road. A crosswalk in Colorado may be marked or unmarked; the handbook states that a crosswalk is a marked or unmarked part of a road where pedestrians have the right-of-way to cross. Two companion rules matter on the road test: 42-4-802(4) forbids overtaking and passing a vehicle that is stopped at a marked or unmarked crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross, and the handbook adds that on a multi-lane road you must stop behind that vehicle or behind the crosswalk in the adjacent lane. Outside a crosswalk the burden flips: under 42-4-803(1) a pedestrian crossing anywhere other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield to vehicles. The absolute-stop duty is separate and is codified in 42-4-808(1): any driver who approaches an individual who has an obviously apparent disability shall immediately come to a full stop and take such precautions before proceeding as are necessary to avoid an accident or injury. A disability is obviously apparent if, for example, the person is using a mobility device, is assisted by a service animal, is being assisted by another person, or is walking with an obvious physical impairment. The handbook applies this to the white cane and guide dog and says you must come to a complete stop and let the person pass safely.

Stop at least 20 feet before you reach a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing, whether you are meeting it or overtaking it, and stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing. You do not have to stop if the bus is on a different roadway of a highway with separate roadways.

C.R.S. 42-4-1903(1)(a) requires the driver of a motor vehicle upon any highway, road, or street, upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any stopped school bus, to stop at least twenty feet before reaching the bus if the visual signal lights have been actuated, and not to proceed until those lights are no longer being actuated. The twenty-foot buffer is a Colorado-specific number worth memorizing. The divided-highway exception in 42-4-1903(4) is broader than the handbook suggests: a driver upon a highway with separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus that is on a different roadway, and the statute defines a highway with separate roadways as one divided into two or more roadways by a depressed, raised, OR PAINTED median or other intervening space serving as a clearly indicated dividing section or island. A painted median therefore counts in Colorado. The Colorado Driver Handbook states the exception more narrowly, as a median or other physical barrier separating the bus from your vehicle; where the two differ, the statute governs. Amber lights are the pre-warning stage and carry no stop duty: under 42-4-1903(2)(c) the alternating flashing yellow lights are actuated at least two hundred feet before the point where the bus will stop, and the red lights are actuated only when the bus is actually stopped. Note also that if a school bus is one that is not required to carry visual signal lights (a small passenger-type vehicle seating fifteen or fewer), you must still stop when it stops to receive or discharge schoolchildren.

Permitted. Colorado is a safety stop state. A cyclist 15 or older (or under 15 with an adult) may treat a stop sign as a yield: slow to 10 mph or less, stop if safety requires it, yield to anyone in or approaching the intersection, then roll through. A red light still requires a full stop.

C.R.S. 42-4-1412.5 makes the safety stop statewide and supersedes conflicting local ordinances. Under 42-4-1412.5(2)(a)(I), a person fifteen years of age or older (or under fifteen and accompanied by an adult) operating a low-speed conveyance and approaching a controlled intersection with a stop sign shall slow down and, if required for safety, stop before entering; if a stop is not required for safety, the rider shall slow to a reasonable speed and yield the right-of-way to any traffic or pedestrian in or approaching the intersection, and may then cautiously turn or proceed through without stopping. Reasonable speed is defined as ten miles per hour or less, and a municipality or county may raise that ceiling to twenty miles per hour if it posts signs saying so at the intersection. Low-speed conveyance covers bicycles, electrical assisted bicycles, and electric scooters, among other non-motor-vehicle conveyances. The red-light half is different and is where riders get it wrong: under 42-4-1412.5(2)(b) a rider approaching an illuminated red traffic control signal must STOP before entering the intersection and yield to all other traffic and pedestrians, and only then may cautiously proceed straight through or turn right; the rider may not proceed or turn right if an oncoming vehicle is turning or preparing to turn left across their path. A left turn on red is allowed only onto a one-way street, only after stopping and yielding, and not if an oncoming vehicle is preparing to turn right. Drivers should expect lawful rolling stops by cyclists at Colorado stop signs and should not read a rider's failure to stop as a violation.

When you approach any stationary vehicle on the shoulder showing emergency, tow, utility, or plain hazard lights, move over one full lane away if there is a lane in your direction to move into. If there is not, or you cannot move over safely, slow down: 25 mph or less where the speed limit is under 45, and 20 mph below the limit where it is 45 or higher.

C.R.S. 42-4-705(2)(a) covers four classes of stationary vehicle: an authorized emergency vehicle (including a port of entry vehicle) showing flashing red, blue, or white lights; a towing carrier vehicle showing flashing yellow lights; a public utility service vehicle (or its authorized contractor) showing flashing amber lights; and, since the 2020 amendment, any stationary motor vehicle giving a hazard signal by displaying alternately flashing lights or warning lights. That last class means the duty is not limited to responders: an ordinary disabled car with its four-way flashers on triggers it. On a highway with at least two lanes going your direction on your side, subsection (2)(b) makes the lane change mandatory, not optional, unless a peace officer directs otherwise or weather, road conditions, or the immediate presence of traffic makes it impossible. If you cannot move over, or the road has only one lane your way, subsection (2)(c) requires a reduced, safe speed, and it fixes presumptively safe numbers: 25 mph or less if the limit is under 45 mph, and 20 mph below the limit if the limit is 45 mph or more. Two related duties sit in the same section: subsection (2.5) applies the same move-over-or-slow-down rule to maintenance, repair, or construction vehicles moving at less than 20 mph, and subsection (2.6) applies it to a vehicle stopped on the side of the highway having chains installed. A violation is careless driving; if it proximately causes bodily injury it is a class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense, and if it causes a death it is a class 6 felony.

Right on red is allowed statewide after a complete stop, unless a posted sign prohibits it. You may also turn left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street after stopping, unless a sign there prohibits it. Either way, yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to traffic already using the intersection.

C.R.S. 42-4-604(1)(c)(I) requires a stop at a steady circular red, then allows two exceptions. Sub-subparagraph (A) allows the right turn after stopping and yielding, unless state or local road authorities have prohibited it by ordinance or resolution AND erected an official sign at that intersection. Sub-subparagraph (B) allows the left turn on red when you are already on a one-way street and are turning onto a one-way street whose traffic moves to your left, subject to the same sign-plus-ordinance exception. Sub-subparagraph (C) is important for readers: the statute expressly strips local authorities of any discretion beyond what it grants, so Colorado has no city-wide or jurisdiction-wide ban comparable to New York City's; a prohibition has to be signed at the specific intersection. A steady RED ARROW is different: C.R.S. 42-4-604(1)(c)(III) requires you to stop and remain standing until the arrow movement is permitted, so no turn on a red arrow.