Colorado targets truckers to reduce I-70 winter traffic jams

• "A lot of the wrecks that we've seen over the last few winters have been a direct result of semis speeding in the left lane trying to pass other cars," Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat and bill sponsor told the Colorado Sun. "That's a completely avoidable accident."

What's happening: Colorado officials are sick of it. A bipartisan bill under consideration at the state Capitol proposes four solutions to help prevent traffic jams along the important commercial thoroughfare:

1. Make it illegal for commercial vehicles to drive in the left passing lane of I-70 between Morrison and Glenwood Springs.
2. Extend requirements for traction devices, such as chains for trucks or all-wheel drive for passenger cars, to any federal or state highway west of Interstate 25.
3. Lower speed limits and double fines for semi-trucks speeding through certain narrow zones of Glenwood Canyon.
4. Allow port of entry officers to enforce the state's winter traction law.

Yes, but: There's a major loophole in the bill that allows commercial vehicles to travel in the left lane if they are passing a vehicle traveling below the speed limit, which is frequent on mountain passes.

The other side: Still, the organization that represents the state's commercial trucking industry is not happy with the bill because of the onerous requirements.

• "We need to have a greater level of study or analysis on this before taking that action," the Colorado Motor Carriers Association's Greg Fulton told the Sun.

ICYMI: Take a traffic break at these 9 coffee stops along I-70