A powerful new bill introduced in the Colorado Senate would let every driver voluntarily add a $5 fee when they renew their vehicle registration, money that would go straight toward building overpasses, underpasses, and fencing proven to stop thousands of deadly wildlife collisions every year.
If passed, Senate Bill 26-141 would create Colorado’s first dedicated Wildlife Collision Prevention Fund, fueled entirely by drivers who choose to check the box.
Tragedy That Sparked a Movement
Mary Rodriguez still remembers the phone call that changed her life forever.
In January 2023, her father, 71-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, was killed instantly on U.S. Highway 85 near Castle Pines when a 700-pound cow elk, struck by an oncoming vehicle, was launched through the air and crashed through his windshield.
Her mother, riding in the passenger seat, survived with serious injuries.
“That stretch of road was our daily route,” Mary told reporters this week. “We never thought something like this could happen until it did. No family should ever get that call.”
Her story is heartbreakingly common. Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) data shows more than 4,100 wildlife-vehicle crashes in 2024 alone, up from about 3,000 a decade ago. At least 11 people died in those crashes last year, and hundreds more were injured.
Where the Money Would Actually Go
Seventy-five percent of every $5 donation would flow into the new Collision Prevention Fund, used exclusively for proven wildlife crossing projects: overpasses planted with native grasses, underpasses with gentle slopes, escape ramps, and high fencing with jump-outs.
The remaining 25% would support Colorado Parks and Wildlife efforts to map migration corridors, install warning signs, and maintain existing crossings.
CDOT already knows exactly where the worst hotspots are. State Highway 9 between Kremmling and Silverthorne averages more than 200 elk and deer strikes every year. U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass, U.S. 550 Red Mountain Pass, and I-70 west of Eisenhower Tunnel are equally dangerous.
One overpass already built on Highway 9 near Kremmling has slashed collisions by 90% since opening in 2020. Animals use it nightly; drivers barely notice it exists.
Western Slope Leads the Charge
Grand Junction Republican Senator Cleave Simpson and Durango Democrat Barbara McLachlan are prime sponsors in the Senate.
On the House side, Representative Rick Taggart (R-Grand Junction, District 55) and Representative Elizabeth Velasco (D-Glenwood Springs) are carrying the companion bill.
“This is a Colorado solution for a Colorado problem,” Taggart said Thursday. “We’re not raising taxes. We’re giving people the chance to help fix a problem that affects every single one of us who drives these mountain roads.”
How Successful Are Wildlife Crossings? The Numbers Speak Loudly
- Utah’s Parleys Canyon overpass (built 2018): 95% reduction in crashes
- Wyoming’s Trapper’s Point overpass (2022): 85% drop in two years
- Colorado’s State Highway 9 overpass (2020): 90% fewer collisions and zero human fatalities since opening
CDOT estimates Colorado needs about $150 million over the next 15 years to protect the highest-priority corridors. If just half of Colorado’s 5.8 million registered vehicles opt in, the $5 fee would generate nearly $15 million per year, enough to build several major crossings every few years.
What Happens Next
SB26-141 had its first hearing in the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee on March 18, 2026. Committee members from both parties praised the voluntary approach and the direct link between the fee and life-saving infrastructure.
The bill is expected to move quickly to the Senate floor, then cross over to the House.
Mary Rodriguez plans to be in the Capitol every step of the way.
“I drive that same road now and I look up at the sky sometimes, waiting for another elk to come flying through,” she said, voice breaking. “If this bill saves even one family from what we went through, it will be worth everything.”
Colorado drivers may soon have the simplest way possible to help: just check a box and pay five bucks.
Because some things are worth a lot more than the price of a coffee.
What do you think, Colorado? Would you check the box to help build more wildlife crossings? Drop your thoughts below and share this story with #CheckTheBoxCO if you’re ready to make our roads safer for people and animals alike.
