Fatal crash profile · State

Traffic deaths in Colorado in 2023

State in United States

Deaths, 2023
720
Fatal crashes
666
Population
5.9M

In 2023, 720 people died in 666 fatal crashes in Colorado. That was 5.8% fewer than in 2022 (764) and the fewest since 2021. The death rate was 12.2 per 100,000 residents, compared with 12.2 in the United States. Colorado had the 22nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 27th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 17% of deaths, and 34% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.

Deaths

Traffic deaths

12.2

deaths per 100,000 residents in 2023

  • About the same as the rate in the United States: 12.2

-6%

change in deaths from 2022 to 2023

764 deaths in 2022, 720 in 2023

  • The United States: -4%

Colorado traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.

Profile by year: 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020

Road users

Who died

17%

of deaths were pedestrians

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 18%
Who died in 2023
Category Deaths
Vehicle occupants and others 440
Pedestrians 125
Motorcyclists 135
Cyclists 20
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Deaths by type, 2023
Type Deaths Share in Colorado Share in the US
Pedestrians 125 17% 18%
Motorcyclists 135 19% 16%
Cyclists 20 3% 3%
Alcohol-impaired driving crashes 214 30% 30%
Speeding-related crashes 257 36% 29%

Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.

Crash factors

Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes

34%

of fatal crashes were speeding-related

  • About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 28%

32%

of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver

  • About 1.3 times the share in the United States: 26%
Crash factors in 2023
Category Colorado United States
Speeding-related 32.4% 25.6%
Alcohol-involved 34.1% 28.2%
At night 52.7% 54.1%
At weekends 35.7% 33.5%

Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.

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Timing

When crashes happen

53%

of fatal crashes happened at night

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 54%

36%

of fatal crashes happened at weekends

  • About the same as the share in the United States: 34%
Fatal crashes by hour of day
Category Fatal crashes
12am 26
1am 33
2am 22
3am 17
4am 4
5am 20
6am 22
7am 25
8am 18
9am 15
10am 24
11am 17
12pm 29
1pm 31
2pm 28
3pm 39
4pm 30
5pm 36
6pm 40
7pm 38
8pm 40
9pm 47
10pm 33
11pm 31

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by day of week
Category Fatal crashes
Sun 112
Mon 73
Tue 89
Wed 86
Thu 97
Fri 83
Sat 126

All crashes 2023.

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Fatal crashes by month
Category Fatal crashes
Jan 42
Feb 48
Mar 38
Apr 65
May 51
Jun 58
Jul 81
Aug 61
Sep 69
Oct 64
Nov 41
Dec 48

All crashes 2023.

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Conditions

Weather and light

Weather at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Clear 546
Cloudy 66
Rain 22
Snow 14
Sleet or Hail 5
Severe Crosswinds 4

All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Light conditions at the time of the crash
Category Fatal crashes
Daylight 306
Dark - Lighted 196
Dark - Not Lighted 125
Dusk 23
Dawn 16

All crashes 2023. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.

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Roads and vehicles

Where and what, 2023

Roads with the most fatal crashes

  1. I-7031
  2. I-2528
  3. US-16015
  4. US-8512
  5. US-5011
  6. US-28710
  7. SR-149
  8. I-768
  9. US-368
  10. US-247

Road names as recorded in police reports.

Vehicles involved, by type
Category Vehicles
Cars 303
SUVs 261
Pickup trucks 170
Motorcycles 137
Medium and heavy trucks 93
Vans 24
Other vehicles 12
Buses 9
Other light trucks 1

All crashes 2023.

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Vehicles most often involved

  1. Ford F-15031
  2. Chevrolet Silverado26
  3. Dodge Ram18
  4. GMC Sierra17
  5. Jeep Grand Cherokee17
  6. Honda Civic16
  7. Ford F-35014
  8. Honda CR-V14
  9. Jeep Wrangler14
  10. Toyota Corolla14

Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.

Crashes

Fatal crashes

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Fatal crashes in 2023. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.

Filter crashes
Crash factors
Date Location Deaths
Dec 31, 2023 Grand Junction, Mesa County 1
Dec 30, 2023 Denver, Denver County 1
Dec 30, 2023 Colorado Springs, El Paso County 1
Dec 30, 2023 Denver, Denver County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Nunn, Weld County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Colorado Springs, El Paso County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Loveland, Larimer County 1
Dec 29, 2023 Aurora, Arapahoe County 1
Dec 28, 2023 Brighton, Adams County 2
Dec 28, 2023 Weld County 2
Dec 27, 2023 Golden, Jefferson County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Adams County 1
Dec 27, 2023 Adams County 1
Dec 26, 2023 Denver, Denver County 1
Dec 26, 2023 Denver, Denver County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Aurora, Adams County 1
Dec 25, 2023 Larimer County 1
Dec 24, 2023 Weld County 1
Dec 21, 2023 Fort Collins, Larimer County 1
Dec 21, 2023 Adams County 1
Dec 21, 2023 Costilla County 1
Dec 21, 2023 Arapahoe County 1
Dec 20, 2023 Logan County 1
Dec 20, 2023 Phillips County 1
Dec 20, 2023 Windsor, Weld County 1

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Nearby and related

Counties in Colorado in 2023

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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2023. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.