Six new traffic safety laws took effect across Colorado on Wednesday after a year that claimed more than 700 lives on the state’s roads, according to AAA Colorado.

One of the new laws was shaped with the urging of parents of a teenage cyclist whose 2023 death was caused by a motorist.

AAA Colorado officials called the 2026 legislative session the most consequential for traffic safety in decades. Of the 701 people killed on Colorado roads last year, 235 of those deaths involved an impaired driver.

“2026 will be a transformative year for traffic safety in Colorado because Coloradans decided that what happened to their family should never happen to anybody else,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA, in a news release.

Two of the laws carry the names of young Coloradans killed while biking.

Magnus’ Law requires officers to offer a voluntary breath test after a crash that kills or seriously injures someone. The test is voluntary; the result or a refusal cannot be used in court.

The law is named for Magnus White, 17, a USA Cycling National Team member struck and killed while training on a Boulder roadway in 2023.

His parents, Jill and Michael White, have pushed for reforms after evidence in the driver’s trial showed she had been drinking hours before the crash. She was convicted of vehicular homicide.

Officers did not suspect she had been drinking but instead believed she fell asleep. So they didn’t perform any sobriety tests, trial evidence and testimony showed.

The Liam Stewart School Zone Act sets school zone boundaries on all streets statewide that are within 1,000 feet of school property. Existing zones of 200 feet or more stay the same. Zones can be made smaller only after a public hearing.

Automated cameras may be used in school zones or along routes kids use to walk or bike to school.

Streets next to schools can be completely closed to regular traffic. The law is named for Liam Stewart, killed while biking to middle school in October 2023, the release said.

Another measure updates winter driving rules so passenger vehicles need chains or snow tires; four-wheel drive alone is no longer enough.

Parking or stopping in a marked bike lane is now illegal statewide.

Repeat speeders going 20 or more mph over the limit face extra points on their licenses and must appear in court instead of mailing in a payment.

Any speed above 75 mph is now classified as “excessive speed.” Driving over 100 mph is a Class 2 misdemeanor offense.

Passing in a no-passing zone now carries six points, according to the news release.

Coroners must report toxicology results every three months to the Colorado Department of Transportation for people who die in motor vehicle crashes. Officers must update crash reports within five days if someone dies within 30 days of a wreck from related injuries.

A final measure cleans up older rules on commercial vehicle chains, toll evasion, license renewals and motorcycle training for younger riders.

“The laws going into effect today each ask Coloradans for something small — like a little more room, a little less speed and a few more seconds of attention near a school,” McKinley said. “For them to be effective, drivers must take them seriously. Nobody ever regrets following a traffic safety law. Countless others have spent the rest of their lives regretting that they didn’t.”