Anzhe Zhang
Citing a variety of factors ranging from the pandemic to residents’ temperaments, a recent series of surveys from the Colorado State Patrol concludes that drivers in the state are becoming increasingly careless, as lane violations and crashes have risen significantly in the past year.
State troopers noted that traffic deaths reached a 20-year high in 2021, possibly due to the pandemic causing residents to drive less. However, road rage and speeding were also cited as causes.
Lane violations are the main source of this increase in traffic accidents. Data from the Colorado State Patrol show that 2021 saw a 30.6 percent increase in lane violations resulting in injuries, and an alarming 74 percent increase in lane violations resulting in fatal crashes.
Lane violations were occurring the most in El Paso, Douglas, Boulder, Mesa, and Jefferson counties, according to state troopers.
Another survey recently ranked Colorado as having the third most overall confrontational drivers in the country, placing behind only Utah and Missouri, the two states that were ranked first and second, respectively.
