If you drive in Colorado, you know the landscape: the daily commute along the Front Range, the winding mountain passes, and the roadside memorials that remind us of the risks we take every day. Traffic fatalities have been a growing problem, and it is a reality that touches too many families.  

In response, the state has released the 2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), a comprehensive, data-driven roadmap with an ambitious vision: zero deaths on our roads. While “zero” is the long-term aspiration, the plan sets a measurable target of reducing fatalities and serious injuries by 22.5% by 2027 compared to 2023 levels. This 149-page document is not just another government report. It was developed by a broad coalition of stakeholders—from AAA and Mothers Against Drunk Driving to Bicycle Colorado, tribal organizations, and local governments—all united by a single mission.  

The plan reveals truths that challenge common assumptions about road safety. One of the most striking is the vulnerability of those outside the protective frame of a car. Crashes involving motorcyclists and pedestrians are disproportionately severe, with nearly 40% resulting in death or serious injury. By contrast, distraction-related crashes result in severe outcomes only about 3% of the time, and intersection crashes about 4%. This disparity underscores why the plan emphasizes “Safe People” and prioritizes protection for the most exposed road users.  

Another shift is philosophical. Instead of focusing solely on “bad drivers,” the plan embraces the Safe System Approach, a framework that acknowledges human fallibility and vulnerability. It emphasizes shared responsibility across safety culture, safe driving, safe people, safe roads, and post-crash care. The idea is that mistakes should not automatically lead to tragedy. Infrastructure and design must anticipate human error, whether through rumble strips, wider shoulders, or rapid emergency response, so that the system itself is forgiving.  

Geography also plays a decisive role. State highways, which make up only 10% of Colorado’s roadway miles, account for more than half of all fatal and serious injury crashes. Rural roads, though less traveled, are disproportionately deadly due to higher speeds, lower seat belt use, and slower access to medical care. This means that targeted improvements on a relatively small share of roads could have an outsized impact on saving lives.  

The urgency is heightened by the fact that Colorado’s population grew by 10% over the last decade, while traffic fatalities and serious injuries rose by 24%. The rate of severe crashes is outpacing growth, showing that awareness alone is not enough. Without strategic intervention, the problem will continue to escalate.  

Perhaps most alarming is the backsliding in key areas. Between 2021 and 2023, speeding-related crashes increased by 64%, work zone crashes by 51%, and pedestrian-involved crashes by 40%. These trends reveal that technology and awareness campaigns are not keeping pace with rising risks. At the same time, distraction-related crashes decreased slightly, proving that progress is possible when strategies are focused and adaptive.  

Colorado’s new safety plan makes clear that the path to zero deaths is not paved with more tickets or slogans but with a clear-eyed understanding of the system itself. It is about protecting vulnerable users, addressing the disproportionate danger of state and rural highways, and confronting behaviors like speeding that are driving fatalities upward. Responsibility is shared, from engineers designing roads to agencies maintaining them, and to every driver, pedestrian, and cyclist who uses them. The plan is detailed, but its success depends on collective action. The question is not whether the state has a strategy, but whether each of us is willing to make changes that help Colorado reach its goal.