Colorado Department of Transportation Report: Decline in Dangerous Driving Habits

Highway safety officials in Colorado are seeing a slight decline in a number of dangerous driving practices, such as driving while intoxicated, failing to use seat belts and speeding.

A poll by the Colorado Department of Transportation assessed the opinions and actions of roughly 945 Colorado residents to produce the 2024 Driver Behavior Report.

So far this year, there have been 299 fatalities on Colorado roads, down 8% from this time last year. The top crash factors in the crashes were speed, impairment and distracted driving, according to the department.

Distracted driving habits like using cellphones or eating and drinking were found to be most common among drivers between the ages of 25 and 44.

The vast majority of respondents (77%) acknowledged using their phones while driving, but 45% said a hands-free option would help them quit using their phones while driving. More than a third (37%) checked their messages on their phones while driving in the past week prior to taking the poll, and 42% said they took a call. The majority (73%) of respondents also said they have eaten or drunk a beverage while operating a motor vehicle.

“While picking up a phone to make calls, read messages, and/or send messages generally decreased with age, drivers aged 25–44 were the most likely to say they had done each of these in the last week,” the report states. “Most drivers of this demographic said they had picked up a phone to make calls (54%) or read messages (53%) while driving over the last seven days.”

Nearly one-in-five (19%) poll takers acknowledged driving within two hours after using alcohol, 6% after consuming cannabis and 3% after taking prescription medications.

However, 57% of respondents said they never drive while intoxicated.

Most respondents believe that police can identify if someone has recently used cannabis (60%) or alcohol (77%). Furthermore, 67% of respondents believe that consuming alcohol within an hour increases the likelihood of a DUI, and 52% say the same about cannabis if the user is impaired above the legal limit.

Although 89% of drivers usually buckle up, only 80% do so when traveling less than 2 miles. Seat belt use is lower among male drivers (86%) than female drivers (92%). When compared to drivers of vehicles made before 2005, 91% of drivers of newer models are more likely to utilize seat belts.

Sixteen percent of drivers say they speed most or all the time, a 4% drop from the previous year. Most drivers said they speed at least some of the time when driving on highways (69% on main highways with a speed limit of 65 mph) and 68% on local highways (a speed limit of 55 mph).

On local roads, drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 (35%) are more likely to speed than drivers over the age of 35 (23%). The majority of drivers (58%) believe that exceeding a 30-mph speed limit will result in a stop more frequently than exceeding a 65-mph restriction (41%).

While 7% of motorcycle riders never wear a helmet, 62% do so at all times. In Colorado, 62% of drivers give motorcycles more space when they are following them, and 73% of riders have a motorcycle endorsement.

In crosswalks, 85% of vehicles always stop for pedestrians, whereas in non-crosswalk situations, 45% do the same.

A mail packet survey (in English and Spanish) was sent to 5,000 randomly selected residential addresses, and 945 Colorado residents completed the survey: 391 by mail, 216 online invited by mail and 338 via the panel. The margin of error was ±4.1%.