If you’ve ever thought to yourself that the roads have become more dangerous in recent years, your perception may be more accurate than you realize.
Although vehicles have become safer and crash rates have dropped steadily for multiple years, they have started to rise again. 2022 is the most dangerous year on record in multiple decades, according to Colorado crash statistics.
What does state collision data show?
According to a report released by the Colorado Department of Transportation, there were a total of 745 reported traffic fatalities in Colorado in 2022. That is the highest number of traffic deaths since 1981. After years of declining fatalities, the trend began reversing. 2022 saw a 57% increase in traffic deaths when compared with reported fatalities a decade prior.
The data also showed a 7% increase in impaired driving between 2021 and 2022, as well as a 51% increase in collisions involving marijuana. Anyone on the roads is at increased risk of a crash, although some people may have a higher chance of dying than others.
Those not in vehicles were also at particularly elevated risk of fatal collisions. The Department of Transportation noted that pedestrian, motorcyclist and bicyclist death rates were the highest they had been since 1975. Changes in personal safety habits, including increased risk-taking, are largely to blame for the increase in collisions.
What does this change in crash risk mean for you?
The possibility of suffering a severe injury or even dying in a crash is higher now than it was just a few years ago. Once you understand that your chance of a crash is higher, you can take steps to better protect yourself and your family members.
Colorado drivers may want to purchase vehicles with more safety features, review their insurance coverage and possibly refresh themselves on defensive driving tactics. When you recognize the threat created by other people in traffic, you can potentially make choices that minimize how much risk they create for you.
With more people dying on the roads in recent years, drivers need to make safety their top priority. Reviewing crash information is one means of lowering your personal risk of a major car wreck.