Colorado’s New Speed Cameras Can’t Be Outsmarted by Waze or Radar Detectors for Good Reason

• Colorado has launched an automated speed camera program on a stretch of I-25, where cameras calculate average speed versus a single instant reading.
• The cameras make radar detectors and alerts from apps such as Waze obsolete, but they’ve greatly reduced excessive speeds in high-risk areas like work zones.
• Violators face a $75 fine mailed to their registered address, with no points added to their license; vehicles without license plates can evade fines.

Since 2023, the Colorado Department of Transportation has had the power to implement speed cameras in what it deems high-risk corridors where speeding is prevalent, such as work zones. The Colorado Speed Enforcement Program has been used in the past to better patrol a stretch of Colorado Highway 119 between Boulder and Longmont during construction, and it’s now popping up along a stretch of I-25 south of Fort Collins, about 35 miles north of Denver, where workers are adding new express lanes.

Speeding in construction zones has obvious dangers for drivers and workers, as well as law enforcement. Using automated detection is easier and safer than trying to patrol construction zones, which tend to have narrow lanes and little or no usable shoulders.

Enforcement for the five-mile corridor began on April 2. Prior to that, there was a 30-day warning period during which would-be violators received a notice but no fine by mail. Before monetary penalties went into effect, CDOT saw a 90 percent reduction of excessive speed in the targeted zone.

Waze May Not Help

Alerts from apps like Waze that warn you to slow down for speed cameras won’t necessarily save you from a fine here. Instead of taking an instant speed reading at one location like radar-based units, the system uses pairs of cameras—officially automated vehicle identification systems—set a distance apart that snap photos of each car, specifically its license plates. Average speed over the stretch is then calculated using the time it took to cover the known distance.

If that average is over the posted speed limit—some outlets are reporting a grace threshold of 10 mph—a bill of $75 for the civil penalty will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered address. In part because the system doesn’t know who was driving at the time, the owner and driver do not receive points on their license. CDOT says most of the revenue collected goes back into funding the Speed Enforcement Program.

The cameras are marked and preceded by warning signs set at least 300 feet up the highway. If you happen to be speeding when passing the first photo location, you still have a shot at avoiding a fine. As long as you slow down enough before reaching the next camera, you can bring the average down to something legal.

License Plates Required

Unfortunately, this is yet another incentive for drivers in Colorado to run their cars without license plates or skip registering them at all (ahem, sovereign citizens), which is already a big problem in the state. License-plate readers used to enforce express-lane tolling have the same issue. We have contacted CDOT to ask what happens if a vehicle without a license plate speeds through the enforcement zone; we’ll update this story if we hear back.

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Ever since David was a wee Car and Driver intern, he has kept a spreadsheet listing all the vehicles he’s driven and tested. David really likes spreadsheets. He can parallel-park a school bus and once drove a Lincoln Town Car 63 mph in reverse. After taking a break from journalism to work on autonomous vehicles, he’s back writing for this and other automotive publications. When David’s not searching for the perfect used car, you can find him sampling the latest in gimmicky, limited-edition foodstuffs.