During a recent community meeting held in Fort Morgan, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) presented some very interesting crash statistics for all of northeast Colorado.
Specifically, the CSP outlined the various causes of the 4,009 total motor vehicle accidents they responded to in this region from 2013 to 2018. What was particularly interesting about these statistics was the animals were the primary cause of most of the accidents — far more than any other contributing factor. More than texting, more than speeding and more than drunk driving.
So what were the numbers?
Animals — such as deer — contributed to 1,191 accidents, or roughly 30 percent. The next item on the list: drivers not traveling at a safe speed given the road conditions. But, this factor only attributed to 919 accidents.
Where did texting-while-driving fall? Well, “inattentive” driving, which would include texting, talking on the phone, taking pictures, adjusting the radio, etc., was linked to 752 accidents, or roughly 19 percent. And further down the list at number seven was impaired/drunk/drugged driving, which was attributed to only 212 accidents (5 percent).
While there really isn’t much authorities can do to eliminate animal-related accidents, it is nevertheless interesting to see just how dangerous these animals can be to Colorado motorists — especially when compared to common traffic offenses, including texting while driving, speeding and driving under the influence (DUI).