You’ve probably noticed it when you’re driving – it’s more dangerous on Colorado’s roads than ever before. While the number of accidents is clearly on the rise, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and other agencies are at a loss for why there has been a historic rise in accidents this year.
Despite CDOT not knowing for certain what caused the uptick in accidents and fatalities, a new study may point to one of the reasons: Colorado has terrible drivers. How terrible? So bad that 84 percent of other states supposedly have better drivers than Colorado.
Do you agree that Colorado’s drivers are terrible? Or do you think the study overexaggerated? Tell us what you think on our Facebook page, and help us continue the discussion about this topic and other important highway safety issues!
The Study
Sometimes the little things make the biggest difference. That’s the principle behind a new QuoteWizard study on driving habits. The online insurance provider based the study on the idea that infractions are more indicative of driver behavior, whereas measuring driving quality on reported accidents doesn’t represent the whole highway population. In its study, it tallied traffic infractions, instead of weighing the cost of insurance claims and accident reports as most studies do.
Its conclusion? Colorado drivers are bad: the eighth worst in the country when it comes to things like speeding tickets, running red lights and more serious tickets like DUI.
Colorado’s Ranking
Rated eighth, Colorado placed just below North Dakota and just ahead of Washington. The most significant figures that went into the overall rating are that the state is 1st in overall traffic citations, 11th for DUI and 10th for speeding tickets.
An argument can be made that instead of having the worst drivers, the state has the most strict law enforcement. But that’s overlooking the recent rise in fatal accidents and the accumulating congestion on our roads. There is room for improvement that starts with following the rules.
Does The Study Match Reality?
We recently asked Facebook users why they thought there was such a jump in the number of accidents in Colorado this year. Many of them confirmed that they thought the causes were the same as those discussed in this study, including:
- Speeding
- Running red lights
- Failure to follow other traffic laws
- Poor driving skills
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Data About Insurance Claims Shows Similar Concerning Issues
QuoteWizard didn’t use insurance claim data, but the Denver Post reports that our insurance claims (and, consequently, its costs), are also on the rise. Some of those insurance filings were due to the heavy hail storms earlier in the year but, again, it’s a sign that our driving is trending in the wrong direction.
How Do We Become Better Drivers?
Solving matters isn’t as easy as pointing a finger. When we see something dumb on the road, it’s easy to automatically blame texting or alcohol. Those are definite problems on our roads but it goes beyond impaired or inattentive drivers and back to the basics.
Most traffic violations are a result of being too aggressive or selfish behind the wheel. Our roads are a microcosm of our city. How we interact is a reflection of who we are and what we want the city to be. If we want safe roads, we need to follow the rules ourselves.
