BOULDER, CO /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The White Line, founded in memory of 17-year-old US National Cycling Champion Magnus White, today announces its full support of SB25-281, a bill introduced by Senators John Carson (R) and Marc Snyder (D) aimed at improving safety on Colorado roads by holding negligent drivers accountable. The White Line applauds this bi-partisan legislation as a critical step toward meaningful justice and ensuring that the severity of taking a life is met with appropriate legal consequences.
Currently in Colorado, a driver who is at fault and hits and kills a vulnerable road user can be charged with a class one misdemeanor, the same level of offense as other non-violent traffic offenses, such as not securing insurance. SB25-281 proposes changing this to a class 6 felony, reflecting the severity of taking a life through negligent driving. In tandem with this change, a key provision of this legislation is the requirement of mandatory chemical testing when an officer has probable cause that careless driving caused a death.
Victim families’ courageous advocacy was a driving force behind SB25-281, proving that when people speak up, legislators listen. By bravely sharing their personal losses, they compelled lawmakers to confront the real, devastating consequences of negligent driving and to act with greater urgency. These stories are not just testimonies of heartbreak, they are catalysts for meaningful legislative reform. The White Line remains steadfast in amplifying these voices, recognizing that continued storytelling is essential to ensuring roads are safer for everyone.
A systemic failure that mandatory chemical testing would have prevented
On July 29, 2023, Magnus White lost his life when a driver stayed awake all night, drank half a bottle of whiskey and took prescription drugs that morning. She passed out while driving, striking and killing him. On Friday, April 4th that same driver was found guilty of felony vehicular homicide.
The conviction marked a small but important step toward accountability, yet the trial exposed significant systemic failures among those entrusted with public safety. Despite eyewitness accounts of the driver swerving, the driver’s own admission to officers that she had been drinking and taking prescription drugs, and her statement to witnesses that she had blacked out and did not recall the incident, no law enforcement agency conducted sobriety tests or ordered a blood draw. Consequently, critical evidence was never collected. Shockingly, while Magnus underwent drug testing, the driver did not. This grave oversight prolonged the pursuit of justice, necessitated a costly and extensive investigation, which ultimately revealed habitual cocaine use and alcohol consumption as recently as 6:05 AM, and left Magnus’ family burdened by lingering, unanswered questions.
“Had this protocol for mandatory chemical testing existed in 2023, the driver who killed our son would have been properly tested. Critical evidence would have never been lost,” said Michael White, Magnus’ father and Co-Founder of The White Line. “SB25-281 recognizes that these crashes are not ‘accidents’, they are crimes. They are the result of deliberate choices to drink, to use drugs, and get behind the wheel. Testing drivers is essential to saving lives and preventing incomplete investigations.”
“Magnus deserved a full investigation, every family in our position deserves that, too. Without chemical testing as a standard procedure, the system failed him and us,” White continued. “A driver has a choice when behind the wheel. They can make safe driving choices or they can make dangerous ones. We firmly believe that a driver’s dangerous choices that result in the death of another, shouldn’t be buried under a traffic misdemeanor charge. We applaud this legislation and hope that it will prevent future families from suffering as we and so many others have.”
For full details on the SB25-281 you can read the proposed bill here.
Read the official statement from the White family on the verdict in Magnus’ case here.
About The White Line
Our mission is clear: honor Magnus White’s legacy by changing driver behavior through real stories, hard data and lifesaving technology.
People are dying now, and we need to act now. No apologies. No more stolen lives. No more shattered families. We’re committed to making the roads safer today.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
media@thewhiteline.org
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