Whenever the vibrant state of Colorado comes to remembrance, one’s mind naturally drifts to the majestic Rocky Mountains. With towering peaks and plenty of public parks, this state is an outdoor adventure lover’s paradise.

One fun and lesser-known fact about this state is that its vast mountainous region is at least six times the size of Switzerland. People visit or move to Colorado to enjoy the great scenic beauty. In 2023, the state had a total population count of more than 5 million.

Around 264,500 people relocated to this state in 2022. What’s even more interesting is that the majority of them belonged to a different country altogether. Colorado’s natural charm certainly attracts the crowd, but its roads are anything but safe (especially in recent years).

In this article, we will discuss the rising number of road rage calls across Colorado along with the aftermath and safety measures needed.

Colorado’s Roads Are Becoming Deadlier Every Year

One may consider this to be natural because much of the state’s land space comes under mountainous terrain. However, the strange part is that pedestrian and cyclist deaths are on the rise. Much of it is the result of driver indiscretion.

In some cases, the cyclist or pedestrian may fail to follow basic road traffic rules, thus endangering their life. By and large, 2022 was the record-breaking year of road accident fatalities. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) states that overall traffic deaths dipped slightly in 2023 (6%).

However, road rage calls to the state’s officials are on a steady rise. For instance – a gruesome case occurred on I-25 in Colorado Springs’ El Paso County last year. At the time, the Colorado State Patrol disclosed that they had already attended 27,000 road rage calls, most of them involving aggressive driving.

As sad as it is, the hurry to reach somewhere by a certain time coupled with impatience and traffic congestion were considered to be the contributing factors. There have even been some cases where the drivers have engaged in altercations at the side of the road.

The Gruesome Aftermath

They may be noisy or annoying, but altercations are the least of the worries. They show that nobody was severely injured or, worse yet, lost their life. That is not the reality for every driver zipping across Colorado’s highways and interstates.

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Most auto accidents involve (multiple) fatalities at most or severe injuries at least. As per the Springs Law Group, these injuries may include trauma to the brain and spinal cord, lacerations, burns, paraplegia, broken bones, etc.

These do not cover the emotional suffering that the victim and their loved ones have to suffer. Then, there is the need to take care of expensive medical bills and lost wages. For that, the victim must recover and file a claim with the liable party’s insurer.

Since Colorado is not a no-fault state, the victim is eligible to file a claim or lawsuit against the liable party, even for minor injuries. If the claim does not hold up, the case must go to court. Let’s take the above-mentioned example of Colorado Springs.

Being the second-most populous city in the state, Colorado Springs witnesses its fair share of daily accidents. If the victim tries negotiating with the liable party’s insurer but to no avail, an auto accident attorney in Colorado Springs will need to intervene.

Even lawyers try to prevent a trial due to the additional loss of time and money. However, some cases are too complex and must go to court. When a trial is involved, it may take months or years before a verdict for settlement is made.

Strict Road Safety Measures and Plans Are the Need of the Hour

Given how unsafe Colorado’s roads are and the deadly aftermath of accidents, state officials and citizens must join hands for road safety. An example would be the El Paso County Road Safety Resolution and Plan.

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This plan aims at reducing the number of accident-related fatalities so that an ultimate zero could be achieved. Data on crashes has been collected to identify high-priority areas as well as the reasons behind the accidents.

A best practices toolkit has been released so that citizens can participate in the county’s Vision Zero initiative. These include –

• Regular and random screening of high-priority areas is important.
• Drivers must avoid driving in an intoxicated state.
• Drivers must only drive within the prescribed speed limits.
• It is essential to avoid distractions as much as possible, including phone calls, mindless chatter, and eating.
• There must be unforeseen checkpoints to check helmets, speed limits, driver intoxication, etc. 

The sad statistics remain that every 7 seconds, someone finds themselves in a road rage. What’s even worse is that there’s a fatality that occurs every 15 minutes. Most crashes happen during work days and peak hours.

At the least, drivers across Colorado in particular, and the US in general, must commence their commute well in advance to avoid haste. Finally, patience must be held onto as a key virtue of safe driving.