The Colorado Department of Transportation says overall traffic fatalities decreased around the state by 6% in 2023.
However, while that overall trend is good, there is a significant increase in fatalities for certain road users.
“We're seeing a much larger increase in traffic deaths among people that are outside vehicles, such as pedestrians and bicyclists,” says Sam Cole, CDOT’s Safety Communications Manager.
133 pedestrians were killed on Colorado roads last year. That is double the number of pedestrians killed on roadways in the last 10 years. Cole says more people than ever are walking and cycling, and towns and cities need to increase efforts to improve road safety with those users in mind.
“We have to better design our roads to meet those roadway users. The variety of roadway users out there is bigger than it ever has before. We have e-bikes, we have scooters, we have people on regular bikes, lots of people walking. They like to ride their bikes to get to work much more than they did 10, 20, 30 years ago,” he said.
Speed is a significant factor in traffic accidents. Cole says the biggest thing drivers can do to ensure safety for other road users is to slow down.
“Getting drivers to slow down in urban environments, that is the number one thing people can do to save lives in our roadways, especially save the lives of bicyclists and pedestrians,” he said.
In addition, distracted driving, and driving under the influence, continue to cause problems.
"More people on their phones, driving, distracted more people driving impaired. But we think, and we hope that the fever, so to speak, has broken. We're starting to see those bad behaviors decline, seeing more people buckling up, more people not driving impaired. We saw a huge decrease in the number of fatalities involving an impaired driver. That's great news," said Cole.
"But on the other hand, we're seeing people combine alcohol with other substances more than they ever have, and then driving. And when you do that, your level of impairment is so much higher than if you were just impaired by alcohol alone."
In addition, while cars have become safer for drivers in the past 10 years, they are getting taller, bigger, and heavier, posing an increased danger to pedestrians and cyclists.
Cole cautions pedestrians to pay more attention to protect themselves.
“As you cross the road, don't be on your phone. Be aware, cross at the crosswalk. Do everything you can to protect yourself because there are bad drivers out there, people that are drowsy or some of them just aren't paying attention," he said.
Copyright 2024 KGNU.
This story was shared via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico including Aspen Public Radio.
