Motorcycle deaths continue to rise ahead of ‘100 deadliest days’

COLORADO, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said 15 motorcyclists across the state died between January and March, the highest number since 2017.

CDOT said it's an alarming number this early in the year, before what it calls the "100 deadliest days of summer." CDOT said historically, nearly 60% of motorcycle deaths happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Without drawing a direct correlation, CDOT did point to our unusually warm Winter in its press release about the elevated Winter motorcycle deaths.

Last July, KRDO13 reported that motorcycle deaths in El Paso County were double what they were the year before. However, statewide motorcycle deaths decreased from 2024 to 2025.

CDOT released crash data dating back to 2011. 2024 was by far the highest on the list with 165 deaths. The number fell to 148 in 2025, which is still nearly double the number of deaths reported in 2011 (78).

The population in the state of Colorado has grown by about 15% since 2011, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), while motorcycle deaths hovers around a 100% increase in that time.

Colorado legalized lane filtering for motorcycles in the summer of 2024. Colorado State Patrol said the law is intended to lower the number of rear-end collisions with motorcycles.

In 2025, the State Patrol told KRDO13 it had observed motorcyclists driving more recklessly because of confusion over the new law. However, it clarified there was no data indicating the new law was leading to a higher number of traffic accidents and deaths.

Instead, CDOT said speed, alcohol and helmet use all contribute to the upward trend. It said riders weren't wearing a helmet in nearly half of all motorcycle fatalities.

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