Excessive speed to be driving factor in fatal, injury crashes in Colorado

COLORADO (KRDO) -- According to Colorado State Patrol, excessive speeding continues to be a driving factor for fatal and injury crashes in the state. Last year, Colorado troopers reported speeding to be the second-most common factor for serious injury and fatal crashes on the roads.

“Speed is the ignored safety problem impacting the safety of our communities,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Driving above the limit or too fast for road conditions has become addictive to many drivers. Troopers intervene when they find it, but are you willing to say something to a loved one when you observe it?”

Unsafe speeds can lead to several driving errors including "the inability to maintain a safe lane position and it reduces the amount of time both the speeding driver and those around them have to brake or move out of the way to avoid a collision," state patrol said.

Colorado State Patrol conducted an investigation, finding the top roadways that had crashes involving excessive speed.

Four-way tie, each having four-separate fatal crashes with more than two fatalities:

1. Highway 50
2. Highway 285
3. I-25
4. I-70
5. Highway 24

Here's a refresher on lane positioning for drivers:

"A driver’s primary or 'default' position for normal circumstances is to drive so that your
vehicle (not the driver) is in the center of the lane with equal amounts of space on both
sides of the vehicle."

"The second lane position is to have the vehicle aligned to the left, ensuring that the
vehicle is still safely off the center dividing line. This should be used with caution if you
are avoiding a hazard on the right part of the lane (i.e. driving through a city block where
parked car doors may open) or if you are slowing down due to a road worker or
emergency responder on the shoulder. As soon as possible, you should return to your
primary, centered lane position."

"The third lane position is to have the vehicle aligned to the right, ensuring that the
vehicle is still safely off the right lane line. This would be used when avoiding a hazard
in the left part of the lane. As soon as possible, you should return to your primary,
centered lane position."

The "Stay In Your Lane" campaign is to remind drivers to control their lane position based on "their current driving environment."

Learn more about the "Stay In Your Lane" campaign here.