Colorado just recorded its worst year for pedestrian deaths in state history.
The Colorado Department of Transportation confirmed 127 people were struck and killed by vehicles in 2025, a heartbreaking 98.4 percent jump from the 64 deaths recorded in 2015. As daylight hours shrink and streets stay darker longer, officials are sounding the alarm louder than ever.
The Numbers That Should Stop Every Driver Cold
127 lives lost in a single year. That is not just a statistic; it is the highest annual pedestrian death toll Colorado has ever seen.
More than 70 percent of those fatalities happened after dark. The early sunsets that come with the end of Daylight Saving Time, combined with later sunrises, have turned routine walks to school, work, or the corner store into deadly risks.
On the Western Slope we love our bike paths and outdoor lifestyle, yet the deadliest stretches remain along the Front Range. Denver, Adams, and El Paso counties accounted for the majority of fatalities again in 2025.
Why Darkness Is Killing Us
Darkness is not just an inconvenience; it is the number one factor in pedestrian deaths statewide.
CDOT data shows crashes spike dramatically in low-light conditions. Drivers simply do not see people in time, especially when those pedestrians wear dark clothing or cross outside marked crosswalks.
Add speeding, distraction, and impairment, and the risk becomes lethal. Larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, now the majority on Colorado roads, strike pedestrians with far greater force and are more likely to kill on impact.
The Counties Where People Are Dying
Here are the hardest-hit areas in 2025 (preliminary CDOT data through December):
- Denver County – 38 deaths
- Adams County – 19 deaths
- El Paso County – 17 deaths
- Arapahoe County – 12 deaths
- Jefferson County – 10 deaths
Every other county combined saw the remaining 31 fatalities. Even rural roads are no longer safe when speeds are high and lighting is poor.
CDOT’s Urgent Plea to Drivers and Walkers
This week CDOT rolled out a new statewide campaign with a simple, direct message: slow down, pay attention, and expect people on foot.
“Every one of these deaths was preventable,” said Sam Cole, safety communications manager for CDOT. “We all have to do better, drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians alike.”
The department is reminding drivers to:
- Slow down in neighborhoods and business districts
- Stop fully for pedestrians in crosswalks, every lane, every time
- Never drive impaired or distracted
- Turn on headlights earlier in the evening and keep them on in the morning
Pedestrians are urged to:
- Use marked crosswalks and obey signals
- Make eye contact with drivers before stepping into the street
- Wear bright or reflective clothing after dark
- Put the phone down while walking
Colorado is also investing heavily in fixes: better lighting, raised medians, improved signal timing, and protected bike/pedestrian paths. But infrastructure alone cannot stop these crashes if behavior does not change.
A Tragedy We Can End Together
Behind every one of those 127 deaths is a family that will never be whole again. A child who will not come home from school. A parent taken on an evening walk. A friend lost on the way to grab coffee.
We share these roads. We share this state. And right now we are failing the most vulnerable people who use them.
If you drive in Colorado, this is personal. The next life saved could be someone you love, or it could be because you finally decided to slow down, look twice, and put the phone away.
Let 2025 be the year everything changed, not because we lost more people, but because we refused to lose any more.
What will it take for you to drive differently starting today? Drop your thoughts in the comments and tag a friend who needs to see this.
