A recent change in Colorado law may have unintentionally made the situation unclear for some drivers. Drivers younger than 18 are prohibited from texting and driving, except when contacting law enforcement or other emergency situations. The penalty for texting and driving for those younger than 18 is $50 for the first offense. As of June of 2017, the laws for adults texting and driving changed in some dramatic ways. The penalties for texting and driving were toughened, moving from $50 for a first offense to $300. However, drivers may only be cited for texting and driving if they are operating their vehicle in a “careless and imprudent” manner. It is usually up to law enforcement to determine what constitutes careless or imprudent driving, but in general a driver who is unable to maintain his or her lane, cannot adjust to changes in speed of traffic, or fails to negotiate curves well would be deemed to be driving in an unsafe manner. In the event of an accident, texting and driving may be cited as contributing to the unsafe driving that resulted in an accident.