HB 17-1044

House Bill 17-1044, also known as the Autocycle Characteristics & Safety Requirements bill, updates Colorado’s laws regarding autocycles. It changes what an autocycle is defined as by specifying that it must have a fully or partly enclosed seating area with safety belts and does not need airbags or a hardtop enclosure. The bill also clarifies that all occupants in an autocycle, including those in the back seat, are required to wear safety belts while driving or riding. This legislation has been signed into law, meaning these new rules are now enforceable for anyone using an autocycle in Colorado.

Official Summary

Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The bill: Amends the definition of 'autocycle' to: -Specify that an autocycle is a three-wheeled motorcycle that does not use handlebars or any other device that is directly connected to a single front wheel to steer and in which the driver and each passenger ride in either a fully or a partly enclosed seating area that is equipped with a safety belt system; and -Eliminate the requirements that an autocycle be equipped with air bags and a hardtop enclosure that protects occupants from the elements and can support the weight of the vehicle without harming occupants when the vehicle is resting on the enclosure; Makes a conforming amendment to the definition of 'motorcycle' to clarify that an autocycle is a motorcycle; Amends the definitions of 'motor vehicle' and 'safety belt system' used in the laws governing mandatory child restraint system and safety belt use, respectively, to clarify that those laws apply to autocycles and that, with respect to the mandatory safety belt use law, every driver and passenger in an autocycle, including a back seat passenger, must wear a fastened safety belt.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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