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Colorado legal term

Driving while ability impaired in Colorado Criminal Law

Current through 2026 Colorado legislative session

In Colorado criminal law, “Driving while ability impaired” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Colorado criminal code.

What does “Driving while ability impaired” mean in Colorado criminal law?

"Driving while ability impaired" means driving a motor vehicle or vehicle when a person has consumed alcohol or one or more drugs, or a combination of both alcohol or one or more drugs, that affects the person to the slightest degree so that the person is less able than the person ordinarily would have been, either mentally or physically, or both mentally and physically, to exercise clear judgment, sufficient physical control, or due care in the safe operation of a motor vehicle or vehicle. (C.R.S. § 18-3-106)

Statutes defining or using this term

Related terms in the same statutes

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.