Traffic fatalities in Colorado Springs at 47; on track to being the highest CSPD has ever seen

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Traffic fatalities in Colorado Springs are on track for another record-breaking year.

There were 48 fatalities in 2018; the highest the Colorado Springs Police Department has ever seen. There have already been 47 deaths on the road in 2020.

CSPD says they work to change driver behavior through traffic and DUI enforcement; among many other programs.

They believe real change will when people recognize that fatalities aren’t just numbers, but entire families whose lives will never be the same.

“Each one of these traffic fatalities is a number, but it’s really someone who is not going to be there for the holidays, someone who is not going to be there for their family," says Lt. James Sokolik with CSPD.

CSPD says within the first five months of 2020, they had nine traffic fatalities. In the last six months, they've seen 38 deaths on Colorado Springs' roadways.

Out of the 47 fatalities they’ve seen this year, 18 of them involve cars and 15 involve motorcycles.

A staggering 11 pedestrians were hit while crossing the street.

Police say it’s hard to pinpoint the overwhelming cause of these accidents, but they are seeing some themes.

“It’s very dangerous when vehicles turn left. It’s probably our most common accident. Not just fatal accident, but accident period,” says Sokolik.

Even though traffic has been reduced significantly amid the pandemic, police say they aren’t surprised by the uptick in fatalities.

They say responding to even one more death on the roads this year would be one too many.

“Those detectives get to see the long term damage to the families, to both the families who lost somebody and the drivers who may have killed someone unintentionally,” says Sokolik.

Police say drivers aren’t solely responsible for the traffic fatalities this year.

They say many of the 11 pedestrians that were hit and killed were crossing the street without a crosswalk.