Crashes involving pedestrians walking on Colorado highways, interstates on the rise
Pedestrians using the shoulders on Colorado highways and interstates as sidewalks are still a major concern in the state. Over the last five years, Colorado State Patrol has investigated 292 crashes involving a person on a roadway where they were not supposed to be. These crashes resulted in a fatality or serious injury 53.1% of the time.
According to CSP, there have been 25 pedestrian-involved crashes on Colorado interstates and highways in 2023 from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30. So far in 2024, there have been 43 pedestrian-involved crashes.
Over the last five years, the five counties included have seen the highest number of fatal and injury crashes caused by pedestrians being on a roadway that was not permitted. These include:
- Adams County
- Pueblo County
- Douglas County
- Jefferson County
- Boulder County
Narrowing further, the data over this same time period found that the top five roadways for fatal and injury crashes by a pedestrian being in a roadway where not permitted include:
- I-25
- US 287
- US 50
- I-70
- US 6
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Sherri Mendez tells CBS News Colorado First Alert Traffic Tracker Reporter Brian Sherrod these numbers should be zero when these crashes are 100% preventable.
"It's a major concern," Mendez said. "We don't want to see anybody get hurt, especially at a place where they are not permitted. We are trying to get the message out there to not travel on the highways."
If you see someone in an unsafe situation on a highway, the Colorado State Patrol recommends safely pulling off the highway, parking and calling 911 for assistance.
If your vehicle breaks down and you cannot exit the highway first, pull off the road as far as possible, put your hazard lights on, and call for help. If you can place yourself safely on the opposite side of a guardrail or up on a hill, exit the car on the non-traffic side and move to the safest possible location. If you can't call for help and need to walk, go to the nearest exit or safe location by walking, facing traffic as close to the edge of the road as safely as possible.