Colorado Springs Utilities reports six damaging accidents in construction zones, blames distracted drivers

Colorado Springs, CO., (KRDO) - Colorado Springs Utilities tweeted a complaint about six accidents in their construction zones that resulted in damage to their vehicles or to infrastructure. Today, state troopers and other law enforcement officers surged major Colorado highways to ticket anyone who was driving distracted.

"Distracted driving is a major cause of a lot of crashes in Colorado Springs. There have been a number of times that people have driven off the roadway -- struck utility poles, struck parked vehicles, struck vehicles in the roadway," said Robert Tornabene Public Information officer for the CSPD.

Since 2010, more than 122,000 accidents have been related to distracted driving, according to the Colorado Crash Data Dashboard. But Michael Myers, safety and health manager for Colorado Springs Utilities, is worried for the safety of his workers. This year, one of his workers was hit on a site.

“When you're in our construction zones, really pay attention because there are people working here," said Myers.

The penalties for traffic violations, including distracted driving, double in construction zones. Distracted driving can include the usage of a cell phone while driving, but also include eating, talking to a passenger or even taking in too much of the scenery.