Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Denver for Traffic Accidents Right Now

As we noted in a recent post about a proposal to lower speed limits on residential streets, the Denver plan dubbed Vision Zero boasts the ambitious goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities in the Mile High City by 2030 — but this year, the problem is getting worse, not better.

According to the project's website, 61 people lost their lives on Denver streets in 2018. With the death on October 7 of Cameron Holub, 31, while riding a bicycle near the intersection of Brighton and 38th, the 2019 casualty total hit 62.

In the meantime, car accidents involving cyclists, pedestrians, scooter riders and other vehicles continue to occur at a dizzying pace. The issue is particularly acute in a handful of Denver neighborhoods, where crashes and hit-and-runs are all too common — and the RiNo Art District, where Holub was killed, is on the list.

Our source is the Denver Accident Map created by the O'Sullivan Law Firm, whose data we've utilized for a series of reports about 2018 traffic deaths, the most dangerous days of the week for-hit-and runs, and more. The resource is built upon Denver Police Department data and updates every 24 hours.

The map's collection of accident reports from September reveals numerous clusters of accidents and hit-and-runs, the majority of which are unattended — e.g., a car smashing into an unoccupied vehicle or the like before rabbiting. Single-digit groupings are depicted in red, while those with more appear in blue. As you can see from the following screen capture, the issue is greatest in nine areas arrayed in and around central Denver, as well as four other outlying spots not pictured here: Montbello and College View (10), Virginia Village/University Hills (11) and near the University of Denver campus (13).


Continue to count down the mapped clusters, ranked from the fewest incidents to the most, supplemented with more specific location information from last month. The data should remind drivers where they need to be even more cautious than usual.

Cluster 8 (tie): Northeast Park Hill and north Stapleton
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 10

Two accidents in this cluster took place just off the Quebec exit from Interstate 70. Another pair were recorded near Quebec Square, at 7800 Smith Road, while two more happened on or near Martin Luther King Boulevard between Oneida and Quebec.

Cluster 8 (tie): Westwood, Barnum and Valverde
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 10

The area south of Alameda near Morrison Road was the site of two accidents. Five others were located on or near Federal Boulevard between Alameda and Sixth Avenue. This past summer, we revealed Federal as the most dangerous street to walk across in Denver. Vision Zero statistics showed that 21 percent of the 76 pedestrians to die in Denver between January 1, 2013, and August 14 were on Federal.

Cluster 7: Sunnyside and Chaffee Park
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 11

The riskiest parts of this cluster are the I-25/I-70 exchange (three accidents) and the sector near 48th and Interstate 70 (four accidents).

Cluster 6: Hale, Montclair, East Colfax, South Park Hill and south Stapleton
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 13

Batches of accidents within the larger cluster transpired near East Colfax and Monaco Parkway (four), Rose Medical Center, at 4567 East Ninth Avenue (three) and north of National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street (two).

Cluster 5: City Park and Capitol Hill
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 15

The three largest zones of concern here are Downing north of Colfax; around East High School, at 1600 City Park Esplanade; and south of Colfax on or near Corona. Each bore witness to four accidents last month.

Cluster 3 (tie): Lincoln Park and vicinity
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 19

Santa Fe north of Sixth Avenue saw four accidents, the I-25/Sixth Avenue exchange experienced three, and two created mayhem at approximately 13th and Speer.

Cluster 3 (tie): Ballpark, Five Points and the RiNo Art District
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 19

Accidents aplenty cropped up around two popular businesses: Great Divide Brewing Company, 2201 Arapahoe Street, with five, and ViewHouse Ballpark, 2015 Market Street, with four. Other worrisome areas were Park Avenue South of I-25 (three), plus Downing and Bruce Randolph and Arapahoe between 26th and 28th (two apiece).

Cluster 1 (tie): City Park West and east LoDo
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 28

The intersection of 16th and Welton was a real accident nexus in September. Six accidents happened not far from that spot, followed by four close to Lincoln and 18th and three near Larimer Square.

Cluster 1 (tie): Highland Park, Auraria and west LoDo
Number of accidents or hit-and-runs in September 2019: 28

More than a third of the total accidents in this cluster — ten — happened on or near I-25 between 14th and 20th, smack dab in the stretch of highway that the Colorado Department of Transportation has targeted for an improvement project that includes the acquisition of the Burnham rail yard. CDOT estimates that approximately 1,000 crashes per year, or around three a day, happen on the highway between Santa Fe Drive and 20th. Add another seven accidents on or near Colfax between Welton and I-25 and two close to the Pepsi Center, and you've got a slice of Denver that can be downright treacherous whether you're strolling, pedaling, scooting or behind the wheel.