COLORADO (KRDO) — Colorado State Patrol (CSP) released data showing more than 50% of all teen crash fatalities were related to speeding. Additionally, El Paso County was in the top five counties in the state that had the largest amount of speeding citations for drivers between 16 and 21.
According to CSP, traffic deaths surged across Colorado in 2021, hitting a 20-year high.
A 2021 report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Ford Motor Company Fund found Colorado had 213 teen fatalities between 2015 and 2019, and 57% of them were speed-related. Since the study finished, CSP says driving has only gotten worse throughout the state.
“Some of the most heartbreaking crashes involve young drivers who thought that nothing bad could ever happen to them by driving a little faster and ignoring graduated driver’s license rules designed to help limit distractions while they gain experience,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “A life full of potential doesn’t need to stop short on a roadway. Pay attention to what young drivers in your life are doing and be willing to take away the privilege of driving before the legal system has to do it instead.”
CSP released the top five counties that had the largest quantity of speeding citations for drivers between the ages of 16 and 21:
- Weld County
- El Paso County
- Douglas County
- Mesa County
- Jefferson County
CSP says speeding is risky behavior for all drivers and combined with inexperience behind the while and distractions, the danger rises exponentially.
CSP encourages parents to use an app or car tracking device that tracks speed, acceleration, and braking for the first few years after a license is issued.
For more information on Colorado State Patrol’s recent campaign to curb teen speeding, click here.