According to the Denver Police Department, the number of traffic deaths in the city fell in 2022, but not by enough to make anyone happy.
The 82 fatalities last year were only two fewer than the 84 counted in 2021. Moreover, the latter total was a modern record, and the 2022 sum was higher than in every other twelve-month period going back more than a decade. This performance indicates how far Denver is from achieving the goal of Vision Zero, an action plan launched in 2016 with the stated goal of "zero traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2030."
Nancy Kuhn, marketing communication manager for Denver's Department of Transportation & Infrastructure, certainly isn't celebrating 2022's minuscule decline in tragedies. In her words, "Every fatality is troubling to us."
There have been plenty of them. The final DPD list, accessible below, begins on January 14, 2022, when Patricia Young was killed in an automobile-versus-automobile crash near the intersection of East Alameda Avenue and South Dayton Street that resulted in a careless-driving charge against the other driver, and ends with the December 26 death of Hilario Pereida-Alvarado after his vehicle rammed into a fixed object on northbound Interstate 25 in the vicinity of the eastbound I-70/North Lincoln Street ramp.
In between, eighty other people died in accidents involving cars, bicycles, a train and — in April and November incidents — scooters. Overall, 26 of the victims were pedestrians, and eighteen of the crashes have been classified as hit-and-runs, five more than in all of 2021.
Although the DPD's all-time record for traffic fatalities was 100 in 1969, annual totals for Denver weren't widely accessible until recent years. Look below to see the department's numbers for each year since 2010, when 42 people died in traffic accidents — exactly half as many as in 2021.
2010: 42
2011: 41
2012: 40
2013: 47
2014: 49
2015: 57
2016: 61
2017: 51
2018: 64
2019: 71
2020: 57
2021: 84
Kuhn notes that "most fatal and serious injury crashes continue to occur on the city’s arterial roadways; these are roadways that tend to be wider and have higher posted speeds. That is consistent year to year. Behavioral factors also continue to contribute to fatal and serious injury crashes in our city. These behaviors include traveling over the speed limit, aggressive driving, disobeying traffic signals, driving under the influence and lack of seat belt use." She also thinks population growth is likely a factor. (Population estimates for 2022 are not yet available from the U.S. Census Bureau, but the Denver City and County population was 600,158 in 2010, and 711,463 in 2021.)
The upward trend line of fatalities has continued since Vision Zero's debut, with the exception of 2020, when driving declined significantly because of the pandemic. But Kuhn insists there's been progress. Since adopting Vision Zero, she maintains, "DOTI has made improvements at hundreds of locations and intersections around the city, with the goal of making it safer for people to travel in Denver, especially for our most vulnerable road users — people who walk, bike and roll."
The department "is working to build a transportation system that recognizes humans make errors and that minimizes the potential for these errors to result in fatal and serious injuries," she continues. "We are also looking for opportunities to do more from a community-wide perspective and build a culture of safety in Denver that speaks to every person, every time they get behind the wheel, and influences good driving behaviors."
Here is Kuhn's rundown of "success stories from 2021," with her comments and descriptions for each.
Interstate 25 and 20th Street
"After installation of new signage and pavement markings in 2019, the crash picture at this busy downtown on-ramp went from being a significant hot spot in previous years to zero serious crash reports in 2020. There was one fatality at this location in December 2021, a single-vehicle crash with speed/impairment as contributing factors. DOTI worked again with partners at the Colorado Department of Transportation to refresh all of the safety markings and replace damaged signage."
East Colfax Avenue
"Paint-and-post intersections were installed in January 2020. Post-treatment analysis showed a reduction in the overall number of conflicts per hour and improvement in the number of drivers yielding to pedestrians at the crosswalks. No vehicle-to-vehicle conflicts were identified in the post-treatment analysis, compared to several in the pre-treatment analysis."
Traffic Safety Cameras
"Denver has had safety cameras installed at four intersections since 2008. At 36th Avenue and Quebec Street, there has been a 100 percent reduction in injury crashes, compared to the three years prior to installation. At West 8th Avenue and southbound Speer Boulevard, we've seen a 27 percent reduction in total crashes. At Kalamath Street and West 6th Avenue, we've seen an 18 percent reduction in total crashes. At West 6th Avenue at Lincoln Street, we've seen a 52 percent reduction in total crashes."
As for safety projects that were recently completed or underway, Kuhn outlines the following:
Broadway Multimodal Improvements
"This project is installing a two-way protected bikeway on Broadway from Seventh Avenue to Center Avenue that will create an important new north/south connection in the city’s bike network and connect to the Cherry Creek Trail. Intersections along the stretch will receive curb ramp improvements, infrastructure to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians, and upgraded traffic signals with lights positioned over each vehicle travel lane, making stops more visible and noticeable to drivers."
Santa Fe Speed Reduction
The department has lowered the speed limit "on Santa Fe Drive from 6th Avenue to Colfax Avenue from 30 mph to 25 mph following the installation of traffic-calming measures."
Five Points Safety Improvements
Crews have "installed intersection improvements in the Five Points neighborhood to shorten crossing distances and enhance safety for people walking."
East 13th/East 14th Avenue Safety Improvements
"Installation has started on safety enhancements at 21 intersections along East 13th and East 14th avenues between Broadway and Yosemite. DOTI is adding paint and posts to these intersections to shorten pedestrian crossing distances, which is anticipated to have a secondary effect of calming traffic, including slowing vehicle turning speeds from 13th and 14th avenues onto neighborhood streets."
East 56th Avenue Safety Improvements
"DOTI is currently making travel and safety improvements on East 56th Avenue from Peoria Street to Peña Boulevard to help safely move more people whether they’re in a car, on a bike, on foot or taking transit."
Green Valley Ranch Boulevard Travel Improvements
"DOTI is making improvements along Green Valley Ranch Boulevard between Chambers and Tower roads to help move more people, more safely, along this two-mile stretch, whether they are walking, riding a bike, or in a car. A new eight-foot detached sidewalk has been constructed on the south side of Green Valley Ranch Boulevard between Peña Boulevard and Telluride Street and construction of landscape medians to better separate travel lanes, and a new protected bike lane east of Tower Road is anticipated to be installed this year."
Safe Routes to School
"In 2021, we completed the Safe Routes to School Action Plan and are making improvements at the Cole and McAuliffe International campuses."
Bike Lanes
"In 2022, we installed thirty miles of new bikeways and upgraded seven miles of existing bikeways across 24 different projects. We have contracted with two companies to install 44 miles of new bikeways on 27 corridors in Central, South Central and Northwest Denver, as planned with communities in those areas through our Community Transportation Networks program."
Street Signs Designating 20 MPH Change
"Denver’s default speed limit changed from 25 mph to 20 mph in late December 2021. So where speed limit signs are not posted, the default speed limit is 20 mph per city ordinance. This change applies to the city’s local streets; you can think of local streets as streets with no stripes or center lines. To implement this proposal, we’ll be addressing 2,700-3,500 25 mph speed limit signs currently placed on local streets. We are outsourcing that work, and it will start this year."
Safe Streets and Roads for All
"The city has applied for a U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, requesting $24 million, with plans to match with an additional $6 million, for a total investment of $30 million to help the city realize its Vision Zero goal of zero deaths on city streets and promote more sustainable travel. The city is focusing on making improvements at strategic locations where we have a high number of severe crashes and in underserved communities that are disproportionately impacted by crashes. We hope to hear about this grant request soon."
In the meantime, Kuhn acknowledges that with 82 fatal crashes in 2022, "we know we still have more work to do and are committed to that. Where we are making improvements using proven crash-reduction strategies, we are seeing positive results. We need to keep at it, and we will."
Click to see the Denver list of traffic fatalities in 2022.
