Colorado has seen pedestrian fatalities steadily increase over the last four years, with motorists, street design and pedestrians all playing a possible role in these tragic incidents.
While large cities with heavy commuter traffic seem a likely place for these crashes, statewide crash data reveals that counties with seasonal traffic and tourism may see a disproportionally high number of these incidents.
“Population-dense areas, such as Denver and El Paso, are the obvious locations for pedestrian crashes, and they do land within the top three counties for 2023,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, citing statewide crash data from the Colorado Department of Transportation. “Yet, it may surprise the public to also see counties like Larimer (40), Montrose (8) and La Plata (8) with multiple serious injury or fatal pedestrian crashes last year.”
Communities and towns can see an influx of pedestrian and vehicle traffic seasonally or over weekends. Larimer County includes a significant college campus, while the cities of Montrose and Durango can see heavy tourism and population influxes.
“Pedestrian-involved crashes happen year-round but definitely increase in the summer and peak in autumn months,” stated Packard. “Motorists that live or work in towns that experience population swings need to stay alert and adjust to people unfamiliar with the area.”
Pedestrians also have a lot of responsibility. While communities may vary, traffic control devices are common. Following basic safety rules, such as only crossing at intersections or crosswalks, following traffic control devices, and removing distractions (e.g., looking at phones, having headphones on, etc.), are key to being responsible.
A misconception many people have is that motorists are always at fault for pedestrian-involved crashes since they are larger, heavier and rarely cause death to the driver or passengers. Any roadway user holds a responsibility to follow traffic rules and can be cited or found responsible for a crash.
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