Neighbors speak out after 55th traffic fatality in Colorado Springs Wednesday morning
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Early Wednesday morning, Colorado Springs saw its 55th traffic fatality. This sets a new record for most fatal traffic accidents in the city.
Around 2:15 Wednesday morning, crews were called to the 1500 block of North Nevada Avenue and found a car which collided into a tree. The male driver was taken to the hospital and the woman passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. The car was going southbound on Nevada when it crossed the median while driving over a curb, then spun sideways and hit the tree. The investigation closed down both lanes of the road until 7 a.m. The Colorado Springs Police Department believes speed was a factor in the crash.
"It's frustrating and sad," CSPD Lieutenant Steve Noblitt said. "These traffic crashes impact every aspect of our community, every demographic in our community, and they're very much preventable."
Residents in the area say speeding has been a problem in their neighborhood for a number of years.
"When I came outside the house and saw what had happened I thought to myself how blessed we are to have these trees on this street," neighbor Joseph Ivanov said. "Otherwise this accident and many others would go right into houses and sometimes have. I do love this neighborhood a lot but within the last 4 years with how many deaths and injuries there have been on this road so close to my house, I'm really rethinking living here."
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, as of last week, this year there have been 713 traffic fatalities in Colorado. In the southwest part of the state, CDOT has seen a 10% increase over last year in the number of fatal crashes at 156.
"The main theme to these crashes around the state is that they're increasing this year," CDOT Traffic Safety Communications Manager Sam Cole said.
CDOT told KRDO more fatal crashes have happened in El Paso County than any other county in the state.
"As far as the fatal crashes we're seeing in the state, speed, not buckling up, and impairment are huge contributors to those fatalities," Cole said. "We're also seeing distracted driving a huge problem."
In El Paso County as of Dec. 1 there have been 73 fatal crashes so far this year. This us a 5% increase since last year. About a third of those have involved impaired drivers.
"It's our individual actions when we're driving that can prevent these types of tragedies," Noblitt said. "So just encourage people to drive with patience and care. Drive the way you want to see other people drive."
Starting Thursday there will be increased DUI enforcement statewide through Monday. Including checkpoints and increased patrols in certain areas of town looking to remove impaired drivers from the roads.
