745 lives lost on Colorado roads in 2022; most in 42 years
COLORADO (KRDO) -- According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), 745 lives were lost on Colorado roads in 2022.
This is the most since 1981. It's also a 57 percent increase from 10 years ago and includes a record number of pedestrians and motorcyclists, according to CDOT.
CDOT, Colorado State Patrol, and the Colorado Department of Revenue are convening in 2023 to discuss roadway safety and encourage Coloradans to reduce risky driving behaviors, CDOT said.
“I wish we could correlate the increase in fatalities to Colorado’s population growth. But that’s not the case,” said Keith Stefanik, Chief Engineer for CDOT. “After falling for 30 years, the rate of crashes has steadily risen during the last decade. Furthermore, for every fatality, there are five serious injuries caused by crashes on Colorado roads.
According to CDOT, Of the people killed in 2022, 36% were outside the vehicle. The number of motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities in 2022 was the most on record since 1975.
Impaired driving deaths increased to 278 last year, up 6% from 2021, CDOT said. However, since 2019, deaths involving impaired drivers have risen by almost 60%. The counties with the highest number of fatalities involving an impaired driver were Adams (35), El Paso (21), and Denver (21) counties.
CDOT says seat belt use in Colorado remains at 87 percent, lagging behind the national average of 90 percent.
According to CDOT, the counties with the most road fatalities in 2022 were:
- El Paso = 83
- Adams = 82
- Denver = 67
- Arapahoe = 56
- Weld = 53
- Jefferson = 46
- Pueblo = 40
In 2023, CDOT says that they along with their partner organizations will implement the Advancing Transportation Safety Program (ATSP) to address the increase in traffic deaths. The program includes four key areas of focus:
- Safe Drivers - Addresses the dangerous driving behaviors that lead to crashes.
- Safe People - Addresses vulnerable roadway users, including motorcyclists and pedestrians.
- Safe Roads - Addresses road design improvements, such as roundabouts, cable rail, and enhanced striping.
- Post-Crash Care - Addresses a fast and effective emergency response.
