Protecting walkers during National Pedestrian Safety Month

In October, CDOT partnered with Telemundo and Entravision to raise awareness of pedestrian safety following the deadliest year on record for pedestrians in Colorado. Last year 93 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in Colorado. This is a 79% increase since 2013. 

Additionally, an analysis from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and AAA Colorado, released earlier this year, highlighted two important facts: 

1. In Colorado and across the country, the startling jump in deaths occurred almost entirely in urban areas, much of it at mid-block locations along arterials (major roads designed to move large volumes of traffic).
2. Non-white populations are overrepresented among pedestrian fatalities. Deaths of Hispanic pedestrians increased by a larger amount than non-Hispanic white pedestrians, on a percentage basis.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, factors that may be contributing to the increase in pedestrian fatalities include cell phones distracting both drivers and pedestrians and a shift in vehicle preference from cars to heavier light trucks and SUVs, which have the capability of inflicting more serious injuries. The Spanish campaign, consisting of four, 15-second radio PSAs on KJMN and KXPK and a 30-second video on Telemundo, aims to address these issues while increasing pedestrian safety awareness and decreasing the number of pedestrian crashes and fatalities. 

For more pedestrian safety details, visit https://www.codot.gov/programs/bikeped/information-for-pedestrians.