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Advancing Transportation Safety
Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Over the last decade thousands of people have lost loved ones on Colorado’s roadways. It’s time to move the needle towards zero.
Fatalities and Serious Injuries Since 2013 - Table
| Year | Fatalities | Serious Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 482 | 3215 |
| 2014 | 488 | 3222 |
| 2015 | 547 | 3200 |
| 2016 | 608 | 3049 |
| 2017 | 648 | 3029 |
| 2018 | 632 | 3406 |
| 2019 | 597 | 3194 |
| 2020 | 622 | 2848 |
| 2021 | 691 | 3387 |
| 2022 | 764 | 3040 |
This graph shows the fatalities and serious injuries that have occurred on Colorado roadways since 2013. Please refer to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the most accurate fatality data for the state of Colorado. The data source of the data above is the Colorado Department of Transportation crash database. Reference more crash data and transportation safety data information.
What is Advancing Transportation Safety?
Advancing Transportation Safety (ATS) is a statewide, collaborative initiative designed to improve safety outcomes on Colorado’s roadways.
Led by a diverse coalition of state and local agencies, advocacy groups, academic institutions, and private organizations, ATS serves as the primary implementation tool for CDOT’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
The initiative brings together professionals and stakeholders from across the transportation safety field to speak with a unified voice, align efforts, and coordinate strategies to tackle the state’s most pressing safety challenges. Through long-term partnerships and shared goals, ATS aims to strengthen Colorado’s safety culture, make meaningful progress in reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries, and create a safer transportation system for everyone—whether walking, biking, driving, or taking transit.
Explore Our
Emphasis Areas
Safety Culture
Transportation Safety Culture serves as the foundation of the ATS and works to address the root causes of traffic safety issues in Colorado. By cultivating a safety culture that promotes positive social norms, only then can positive change be realized. The key focus areas are Organizational Safety Culture and Public Safety Culture. Organizational Safety Culture targets the culture within agencies through policy and structure. Public Safety Culture focuses on building a shared understanding among the community about how individual actions and choices while navigating the transportation network has an impact on others.
Safe Roads
Safe Roads acknowledges that safety is proactive and that humans make mistakes. It focuses on designing and improving infrastructure to anticipate and reduce the impact of human errors, preventing fatalities and serious injuries.
Focus Areas:
- Off System (Crashes on local roads)
- Intersections
- Lane Departures
- Speed Management
Safe People
Safe People promotes and employs best practices to improve roadway safety for Vulnerable Roadway Users (VRU) and other road users at higher risk of traffic fatalities or serious injuries. A VRU includes individuals walking, riding bicycles and rideable toys (e.g., scooters or skateboards), using personal mobility devices (e.g., walkers or wheelchairs), or someone on foot working in work zones.
Focus Areas:
- Bicyclists
- Pedestrians
- Motorcyclists
- Young Drivers
- Aging Drivers
- Work Zones
- First Responders
Safe Driving
Safe Driving recognizes that driving behaviors are a key contributing factor in a significant proportion of fatalities and serious injuries that occur on Colorado’s roadways. Safe Driving targets high-risk driving behaviors, including distraction, aggression, impairment, occupant protection (seat belts and/or helmets), and speeding.
Focus Areas
- Impaired Driving
- Distracted Driving
- Aggressive Driving
- Speeding
- Occupant Protection
Post-Crash Care addresses strategies that will increase the survivability of crashes through efficient emergency response, improved access to emergency medical care, safe conditions for first responders and improved traffic incident management practices.
Focus Areas:
Interested in learning more about the emphasis areas?
Email shsp@state.co.us.
Our ATS partners are crucial in helping us to implement key ATS initiatives.
Read a list of participating agencies
State Safety Plans
Colorado has developed numerous transportation safety plans to guide decision-making and resource allocation. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is responsible for creating and implementing the strategic goals laid out in these plans. Select the documents below to read CDOT’s recent safety plans.
Colorado Strategic Transportation Safety Plan
Colorado Highway Safety Application and Plan
Colorado Statewide Transportation Plan
Colorado Triennial Highway Safety Plan
Transportation Safety
News & Events
CDOT Traffic Safety News
Colorado Department of Transportation news articles about traffic safety events and media campaigns.
CSP Traffic Safety News
Colorado State Patrol press releases and blog posts about traffic safety and other CSP topics.
Additional Tools & Resources
Safety Portal
Find current safety statistics, read related safety plans, explore data dashboards and learn about our funding programs.
Get Involved
Contact Us
Sign up for safety newsletters and contact the ATS Planning and Implementation Team!