COLORADO SPRINGS – New information shows that 2018 is now the deadliest year ever on Colorado Springs roads.
On Friday, the Colorado Springs Police Department reported that currently, the city is at 41 traffic fatalities. The city was at 31 traffic fatalities this time last year. The previous record for most traffic deaths was set last year with 39.
CSPD told News 5 that traffic is the top complaint people make to the department with speeding being a huge issue for many people. In the coming months though, the city may start to see improvements. This month, the department was awarded federal funds to enforce speeding at dangerous locations over the next year. It’s something local drivers like Tymm Hoffman are grateful for.
Hoffman said, “It’s scary to think that every time we get in the car that you’re one distracted person or one speeding person away from changing everything in your life.”
Hoffman is no stranger to high-speed traffic.
“We moved here from Atlanta five years ago thinking we were going to get into a better traffic situation. That’s literally why we left Atlanta.”
Unfortunately, he said conditions aren’t much better in Colorado Springs.
“The driving is nuts. The speeding is crazy…Powers feels like a race track.”
Thankfully, he and his family haven’t been in a collision, but they’ve had some close calls.
“It was at a four-way stop. A guy had run the stop sign and almost t-boned me, and I had my kids in the car.”
They were lucky, something that can’t be said for many others.
“41 deaths is crazy.”
It’s how many people have died on Colorado Springs roads this year.
Lieutenant John Koch of the Colorado Springs Police Department said, “We have to do something about that. That’s our job.”
A new program, “Slow Down Colorado Springs,” may be just the answer.
Lieutenant Koch said, “The goal of the program is to enforce speeding violations around intersections where we’ve identified a significant number of injury, traffic accidents.”
The hope is that by doing this collisions, injuries, and deaths in those areas will be reduced.
“We’re going to be doing deployments throughout the city in all of the patrol divisions on at least a weekly basis.”
The lieutenant said staffing won’t be impacted or the department’s response to other calls.
“This grant allows us to hire back officers that otherwise would not be on patrol, would be on time off, to come in and work those details.”
Hoffman said, “I think it’s great. I think there needs to be more of it honestly.”
The “Slow Down” program kicks off next month and will continue through September 2019.
