Colorado State Patrol reports alarming trend in pedestrians injured, killed while illegally walking along highways

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Signs are posted at most highway entrances, informing people that pedestrians, bicycles and other non-motorized traffic are prohibited.

Yet people continue to violate that law -- and in increasing numbers, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

In a release issued Monday, the CSP said that 157 pedestrians were hurt or killed by vehicles along highways in the state between 2019 and 2021.

"Most, if not all of them, were fatalities," said Trooper Josh Lewis. "Last year alone, those incidents increased nearly 53%."

Lewis said that the reasons for the increase are unclear.

"We've seen a little bit of everything -- from people whose vehicles are broken down, hitchhiking or homeless," he said. "It's not one particular group or set of people that we're seeing. But ultimately, it leads to a lot of disaster when you have people on foot who aren't paying attention, or they're not expected to be in a location and drivers aren't paying attention."

Stronger enforcement could be on the way to address the problem.

"We don't issue a lot of citations," Lewis said. "I don't know how many we actually have, or if we've actually done it. But that's why we're trying to get this warning out. The fines, the citations that are associated with it are fairly minimal. But what it comes down to, is it's not worth putting your life at risk for being near these vehicles that are going at such high speeds, and maybe don't recognize that you're going to be there."

The CSP asks that drivers be alert to the possibility of seeing a pedestrian, and asks people to avoid walking along a highway unless absolutely necessary.

"If your vehicle breaks down and you are unable to exit the highway first, pull off the road as far as you can, put your hazard lights on, and call for help," the release explains. "If you can place yourself safely on the opposite side of a guardrail or up on a hill, exit the car on the non-traffic side and move to the safest possible location. If you can’t call for help and need to walk, go to the nearest exit or safe location by walking facing traffic as close to the edge of the road as safely possible."

The CSP finds that El Paso County ranks third in the state for pedestrian crashes, and lists Interstate 25 as having the highest number with U.S. 50 tied for fifth.