On Wednesday afternoon, Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, stood amongst several gravestones in Crown Hill Cemetery which served as a haunting image of the record number of people who died on Colorado roads in 2022.
Beside Packard stood a prop with the number 745. The prop was supposed to signify the number of people who died in car crashes on Colorado roads in 2022. However, the number has since risen to 754.
According to Packard, the number can still change as people succumb to the injuries they received in 2022.
“There were so many crashes that we can’t count them efficiently enough,” Packard said.
Over the four days that Americans celebrated the Fourth of July, the Colorado State Patrol alone responded to 745 crashes which included seven fatalities, Packard said.
The troubling thing for Packard is that all of these crashes could have been avoided had individuals made a better choice, he said.
“People are dying on Colorado roads at a rate we have not seen in decades. When I tell you 754 in 2022, that is an incredible number. We all have to come together to be sure that we are doing everything we can to save lives on our roadways and to make Colorado the safest place that it can be,” Packard said.
Standing in the cemetery, Packard unveiled that law enforcement officers are taking an “unapologetic approach to curbing crash fatalities.” The plan includes a targeted multi-agency operation to focus on the driving behaviors that are most known to cause fatalities.
First, Colorado State Patrol plans to maximize the number of troopers seen on roadways, especially the main Colorado corridors. These officers, along with sheriff’s deputies and local law enforcement will strictly enforce a zero-tolerance for driving while impaired, excessive speed, distracted driving and lane violations.
“We will be strict enforcers of the law,” Packard said.
While the officers plan to be more visible on Colorado roadways, Packard encouraged drivers and families to stop the behaviors by having tough conversations about these issues, using ride-share programs or designated drivers, putting away phones or other distractions while driving and by simply slowing down and staying in the drifting lane.
“There will never be enough state troopers, sheriff’s deputies or police officers to hold every irresponsible driver accountable. If we are going to be successful with driving this number down from this 41-year high, it’s going to take all of us,” Packard said.
