Pedestrian deaths in Denver have jumped greater than 50% in 2025 in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, in line with metropolis transportation officers.
As of Tuesday, 25 pedestrians had been killed in crashes to this point this 12 months in Denver, in line with the Division of Transportation and Infrastructure. By that date final 12 months, 16 pedestrians had died.
“It’s breaking our hearts as a result of we now have seen a dramatic improve within the variety of deadly crashes with pedestrians in Denver and across the state,” Amy Ford, government director of the town’s transportation division, mentioned Wednesday.
Pedestrian deaths account for almost half of all Denver street deaths reported this 12 months, metropolis officers mentioned.
The extra crash fatalities included 17 folks in vehicles, six motorcyclists, seven folks on scooters and three bicyclists — a complete of 58 victims.
Motorists and motorcyclists killed in Denver crashes dropped between 2024 and 2025, however the improve in pedestrian deaths prompted total visitors fatalities to rise barely, in line with knowledge offered by metropolis officers.
Denver’s 16 pedestrian deaths through the first 9 months of 2024 seem like decrease than the typical over the previous 4 years. Metropolis transportation knowledge reveals 24 pedestrians died in 2023, adopted by 22 in 2022.
Metropolis officers are working to scale back deadly crashes in a number of other ways, Ford mentioned.
Transportation workers began a speed-reduction program alongside Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue, which incorporates altering the timing of stoplights and including radar pace indicators that present drivers how briskly they’re going.
On York Avenue, transportation crews reconfigured lanes between 18th and fortieth avenues so as to add left flip lanes and scale back crashes, and new heart medians on West Colfax and Hampden avenues make a shorter distance for pedestrians to cross the road, Ford mentioned.
Weak street consumer deaths have additionally spiked considerably throughout Colorado up to now 10 years, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in Colorado elevated 78% between 2015 and 2024, whereas passenger car deaths elevated 7% throughout that very same timeframe.
Final 12 months was the second-deadliest 12 months on file for pedestrians and bicyclists in Colorado, with 134 fatalities, state patrol officers mentioned.
And October 2024 was the deadliest month on file for pedestrians, Colorado Division of Transportation chief of workers Sally Chafee mentioned.
A part of that’s as a result of it’s getting darker earlier because the season modifications, she mentioned.
“Our Colorado life-style doesn’t cease as a result of the solar units earlier,” Chafee mentioned. “Persons are nonetheless out strolling, working and biking, however within the nightfall and darkness they’re extremely tough to see.”
Chafee urged drivers to at all times anticipate pedestrians to be current and for pedestrians and cyclists to put on vibrant, reflective clothes and take note of their environment
To date in 2025, crashes have killed 94 pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the state, in line with CDOT’s fatal crash data portal. These embody 4 individuals who had been struck and killed on highway shoulders in Denver this year after getting out of their automobiles due to automotive bother.
Drivers ought to by no means get out of their automobiles on the shoulder and as a substitute name a tow truck or roadside help and wait inside, Chafee mentioned.
If somebody should get out of their automotive, they need to transfer to the opposite aspect of the guardrail and as far-off from the roadway as attainable, she mentioned.
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