School Zone Crashes: Jefferson, Adams Counties Among Worst In CO

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — Drivers need to reduce their speeds and stay alert as students return to school, Colorado State Patrol warned.

Over the past three years, crashes occurred three times more frequently during the school year — in pick-up and drop-off hours — than all other hours, state data shows.

The top three counties where school safety zone crashes investigated by the Colorado State Patrol occurred most frequently were:

• Jefferson County
• El Paso County
• Adams County

Pick-up hours were the most dangerous and the peak day of the week was on Fridays between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., the agency said.

"Kids deserve extra caution," said Colonel Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol.

"Exercising patience in school zones is critical as it takes only seconds for a tragedy to happen. Drivers need to stay alert and plan for congested neighborhood streets around our schools."

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Inattentive driving, following too closely and failure to yield the right of way were the leading causes of crashes in Colorado over the past several years, authorities said.

Out of the crashes in school safety zones investigated by the Colorado State Patrol, 11 percent resulted in injury and 89 percent were property damage.

The agency's top citations for school zones include speeding, careless driving and driving without a safety belt in use.

"We teach our kids how to drive every day through our behaviors," Packard said.

"Regardless of how hurried you may feel driving recklessly and moving the car without the 'seat belt check' will never be worth it when a crash occurs."