No need for speed: The fatal consequences of driving too fast

Shift into Safe News

Speeding is inherently dangerous and remains a leading factor in Colorado traffic deaths. Preliminary data shows that in 2024, Colorado lost 236 lives in speed-related crashes, surpassing impaired driving and unbuckled crash fatalities. Furthermore, Colorado State Patrol troopers investigated over 560 fatal and injury crashes in 2024 that involved a speeding driver.

Last year, CDOT transformed Red Rocks Amphitheatre into a powerful memorial for speeding victims by marking 257 seats — the number of speed-related fatalities in 2023 — with signs and handwritten notes. After the installation at Red Rocks, the signs were distributed throughout Denver and the state’s top counties for speed-related fatalities (El Paso, Jefferson and Weld).

Yellow and blue lawn signs displayed in the seating area at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Copy on the lawn signs reads "Slow down, save lives. Each of these signs represents just one of 257 lives lost to speeding in Colorado last year.”

Fast is Fatal

CDOT hopes to spark a meaningful conversation about traffic safety and encourage drivers to slow down by creating a series of sobering comparisons that put speed-related fatality statistics into perspective:

  • Colorado lost 751 lives to speeding between 2021 and 2023, which is the capacity of 10 ½ school buses or the entire Coors Field 117 seating section.
  • There were 1,168 speed-related fatalities in the state between 2017 and 2021, which just surpasses the full capacity of Colorado’s own Casa Bonita.
  • From 2020 to 2023, there were 418 speed-related fatalities in Colorado between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which surpasses the capacity of an entire section of seating at Ball Arena.

Driver Behavior

According to CDOT’s 2024 Driver Behavior Report, more than 69% of Colorado drivers said they drove over the speed limit on main highways and local highways at least some of the time. However, drivers tend to overestimate the time saved by speeding. In fact, according to a 2021 study conducted by AAA Colorado, a motorist moving at 80 mph instead of 75 mph would have to travel 100 miles to save roughly five minutes.

In 2023, the Colorado State Patrol issued the most speeding citations for drivers exceeding the posted speed limit by 20+ mph on the following five roadways:

  • I-70
  • I-25
  • Highway 50
  • Highway 24
  • Highway 285

No Need for Speed

Drive to the beat of a different tune! CDOT has created a custom “No Need for Speed” Spotify playlist featuring mellow, slow-paced songs to encourage drivers to slow down. Listen to CDOT’s calm driving playlist here or search for the "No Need for Speed” playlist in the Spotify app.

CDOT also shares the following tips to stay safe from speeding drivers:

  • Maintain space: Give other drivers, speeding or not, plenty of space. Drivers are more likely to lose control of their vehicles when speeding.
  • Do not engage: Speeding is often linked to aggressive driving. If a speeding driver is tailgating you or trying to engage in risky behavior, use your judgment to safely steer your vehicle out of the way.
  • Report dangerous behavior: If you believe a driver is following or harassing you, or engaging in other risky behavior, dial *CSP (*277) or your local law enforcement to report.

For more information about Colorado speed limits and the dangers and consequences of speeding, visit codot.gov/safety/speeding.