Colorado State Patrol reports speeding as top causal factor for fatal and injury crashes in 2023

COLORADO (KRDO) - According to Colorado State Patrol (CSP), speeding was the number one factor causing fatal and injury crashes in the state in 2023.

CSP said as of December 26, 2023, troopers investigated 2,722 fatal and injury crashes around the state that included speed as a factor. Speeding was found to be the top causal factor for 652 of those crashes, followed by lane violations (611) and distracted driving (551).

The counties that had the most fatalities caused by speeding (based on the crashes referred to above) were:

• Adams
• El Paso
• Mesa
• Pueblo
• Mineral

“Speeding is likely the most disobeyed law in our nation because too many drivers want to ignore the relationship between driving the speed limit and road safety,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “The solution to safer streets rests with each one of us. For drivers, our message is to be the solution to our traffic safety problem. Drive the speed limit and drive focused.”

“Drivers often believe that speeding is okay for them because they have confidence in their own driving abilities,” explained Col. Packard. “The reality is that physics works the same for all of us. Speeding gives you less time to react to the unplanned and lessens the likelihood of you, your passengers, and anyone else involved walking away from a crash.”

For more info on CSP, visit Colorado State Patrol.