Safety Planning
Moving Towards Zero Deaths
CDOT has launched a new era for transportation safety in Colorado. In 2015, Governor Hickenlooper joined state and national officials to announce Moving Colorado Towards Zero Deaths, which sets a bold and visionary goal of zero deaths for every individual, family and community using Colorado’s transportation network. “We are announcing this ambitious goal to dramatically reduce transportation deaths in Colorado as we know that even one death is one too many," said Governor Hickenlooper. “This new vision serves as a wake-up call to any who have become complacent about the number of traffic deaths in Colorado each year." In 2014, there were 486 traffic deaths in Colorado, according to preliminary estimates.
Moving Towards Zero Deaths is a core value of the state's Strategic Transportation Safety Plan, which provides innovation and data-driven approaches to improving highway safety. The plan leverages the success of safety programs statewide to decrease fatalities, serious injuries and crashes on Colorado’s roadways. The strategies in this new safety plan show immense promise in helping Colorado reach zero deaths.
The campaign includes a new partners program that certifies safety initiatives administered by community allies to reach zero deaths. The partner certification provides the zero deaths seal to any organization that meets certain criteria, including the implementation of a program that addresses at least one SHSP emphasis area. Explore the list of the organizations that have received their certification.
Whole System Whole Safety is a CDOT initiative to fully integrate safety into everything that CDOT does in carrying out its mission. It encapsulates behavior, organizational, and built environments by focusing on human factors, organizational culture, and physical assets. It is the branded “face” of all aspects of safety throughout CDOT. The STSP embodies the vision and strategies of Whole System Whole Safety.
The Strategic Safety Transportation Plan has been updated for 2020 to 2023. It is a statewide plan intended for all stakeholders involved with transportation safety, and replaces the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (2014 - 2019). The plan guides all Colorado agencies and other stakeholders in taking action on improving transportation safety - specifically in areas of leadership, safety culture, driver behavior, and infrastructure. The plan incorporates a Zero Deaths philosophy, and has identified 15 key strategies to target Colorado's high and critical priority safety issues. Our goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in Colorado by 15% by 2023.
The Highway Safety Office (HSO), within the Office of Transportation Safety (OTS) at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is responsible for developing and administering behavioral programs that improve the traffic safety environment in Colorado by reducing the number and severity of traffic crashes. The HSO’s programs target specific high-risk driving behaviors, such as impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving and also focuses on populations at high risk for crash involvement, such as young drivers, motorcycle riders, pedestrians and vehicle occupants who do not use proper restraint devices.
