Colorado State Patrol using drones to speed up crash investigations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Crash scenes can be dangerous for first responders and motorists and can lead to extended delays as traffic comes to a standstill or is rerouted, but the Colorado State Patrol is embracing a new tool to make the investigation process quicker.

Now, you'll see CSP using aerial drones to map out the impact area. Crash scenes are also crime scenes that require securing and collecting evidence for legal and insurance purposes.

In 2020, the Colorado State Patrol investigated more than 3,500 fatal and injury-related crashes. To better investigate these crashes, this year, dozens of troopers across the state are becoming certified operators of drones and cutting down the time substantially in turning crash scene reconstructions.

Captain Darrell Aulston said, “We can do it in minutes and instead of hours.”

So by using these drones, what exactly will State Patrol be looking at?

“What’s so important about the is we are going to get so many more data points than in the past to be able to completely map the entire crash scene, all of the evidence, fluid splatter, tire marks, topography, and roadway design into our crash reconstructions," Aulston said.

And this change will be able to benefit Colorado State Patrol in many ways, but maybe the most important is safety. Anything that speeds up the collection of evidence saves lives.

"We are going to have less impatient people because we are going to be able to do a quicker and more detailed presentation. By keeping our troopers we keep them safe, by keeping other roadside workers off the road, we keep them safe and that is the goal of the entire program,” Aulston said.

By significantly speeding up data collection, drones are helping investigators clear roads much quicker after an accident and thereby helping to reduce the potential for secondary crashes.