At the Law Offices of Cliff Enten in Colorado, we understand that a car accident can result in your sustaining catastrophic injuries, up to and including death. We also know that despite continual public awareness campaigns by governmental agencies, the Colorado fatality rate continues to climb.
As the Denver Post recently reported, fatal motor vehicle crashes increased from 451 in 2014 to 587 in 2017. Worse yet, those 587 fatal crashes resulted in 635 deaths to drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. This is a 30.1 percent increase in only three years.
Poor personal decisions
Colorado Department of Transportation officials attribute this alarming fatality rise to the poor driving decisions that Colorado drivers make, including the following:
- Driving while intoxicated
- Driving while under the influence of drugs
- Driving while distracted
The actual percentage of fatal accidents attributed to impaired drivers fluctuates from year to year as follows:
- 34.2 percent in 2014
- 31.4 percent in 2016
- 37 percent in 2017
Adding to the problem is the fact that 16 percent of Colorado drivers and passengers refuse to wear a seatbelt. Are you one of them? Colorado now ranks 36th in the nation for seatbelt usage. In 2017, unbelted vehicle occupants accounted for over half of the fatal crash injuries. Obviously your chances of dying in a car crash rise exponentially when you refuse to wear your seatbelt.
Rural versus urban fatal crashes
You can no longer afford to believe that you will not be involved in a fatal vehicle crash based on where you live. Ten years ago, you were safer living in a city because far more accidents happened in rural areas. Today those numbers have switched. In 2017, Denver, Adams, El Paso, Arapahoe and Weld counties saw the highest number of fatal crashes.
CDOT officials attribute this change to population growth and more drivers and pedestrians who drive or walk while distracted by their cellphones, music headphones and a variety of other modern technologies. Obviously the best way you can prevent your own death in a vehicle crash is to watch where you are going, watch where other traffic is going, never drive while impaired, and always wear your seatbelt.
For more information about this subject, please visit this page on our website.
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