Top 5 Fastest Colorado Counties Among Young Drivers

DENVER, CO — In 2021, traffic deaths in Colorado hit a 20-year high. According to the Colorado State Patrol, speeding is a significant contributing factor in the kinds of accidents that result in deaths.

This reality, according to the State Patrol, can be compounded by young, inexperienced drivers. Between 2015 and 2019, Colorado reported 213 teen deaths in car accidents, and of those, 57 percent were related to speeding, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

In response to the increases in speeding across the state, the State Patrol has begun a "Don’t Chase Cool," campaign to attempt to curb teenage fatalities that result from speeding. As part of this campaign, the State Patrol is encouraging parents to discuss safe driving with their young drivers and to consider using apps to track how their children are driving after getting their licenses.

"Some of the most heartbreaking crashes involve young drivers who thought that nothing bad could ever happen to them by driving a little faster and ignoring graduated driver’s license rules designed to help limit distractions while they gain experience," said Col. Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "A life full of potential doesn’t need to stop short on a roadway. Pay attention to what young drivers in your life are doing and be willing to take away the privilege of driving before the legal system has to do it instead."

Here are the top 5 Colorado counties with the most speeding citations for drivers aged 16-21:

• Weld County
• El Paso County
• Douglas County
• Mesa County
• Jefferson County