Colorado State Patrol reports a 236% increase in crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle

COLORADO, USA (KRDO) – A new report from the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) is finding a 236% increase in crashes where the driver was operating a commercial motor vehicle while inattentive to the road. 

The report investigated over 600 serious injury or fatal crashes across the Colorado region in 2022 where drivers were found at-fault for distracted driving.

37 of those crashes came from commercial motor vehicles. 

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), commercial vehicle drivers were banned from texting while driving in 2010 and in 2011, all hand-held devices were banned in an effort to curb distracted driving. 

Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), says some of the most common indicators of distracted driving include: 

• Inability to maintain lane position.
• Driving between lanes or sudden swerving for no apparent reason.
• Not keeping a relatively constant speed.
• Sudden braking in reaction to normal traffic stops.
• Running a red light or stop sign.
• Seeing a driver’s eyes are not on the road.

As a reminder CSP is telling drivers that the primary position for normal circumstances while driving is to drive so that your vehicle is in the center of the lane with equal amounts of space on both sides.