COLORADO

Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: Costly But Preventable 

$9 Million MEDICAL COSTS + $934 Million WORK LOSS COSTS 

$943 Million 

total cost of traffic crash deaths 

in Colorado in 2018. 

Motor vehicle crashes and their resulting injuries COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY TYPE OF ROAD USER 

COLORADO are preventable; state-level changes are especially 

  effective for prevention.

TAKING ACTION CAN SAVE LIVES	 

In 2018, more than 650 people in Colorado were killed 

in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Colorado can consider     the following proven strategies, and the enforcement

related policies, to save lives and money: 

• A primary enforcement seat belt law that covers all Source: CDC WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System), 2018 

*Cost is based on fewer than 20 deaths and may be unstable.

seating positions COST OF TRAFFIC DEATHS BY AGE GROUP • Child passenger safety laws that require proper car seat and COLORADO 

booster seat use until at least age 9		 

 • A graduated driver licensing (GDL) system that includes:		

◦ A minimum age of 16 for obtaining a learner’s permit		 

◦	 Restrictions against nighttime driving between 10:00 pm 

and 5:00 am (or longer) 

◦	 A minimum age of 18 for lifting both nighttime driving 

and young passenger restrictions
	

Children: 0–14, Teens: 15–19, Young Adults: 20–34, Adults: 35–64, Older Adults: 65+ 

Source: CDC WISQARS, 2018 

Working together, we can help keep people safe on the road—every day. 

www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/statecosts 
 

 

 


	


	

HOW DOES YOUR STATE COMPARE? 

STATES IN YOUR REGION 

Total population in 2018 Traffic crash death costs in 2018 

Wyoming 0.6M $129M 

North Dakota 0.8M $152M 

South Dakota 0.9M $205M 

Montana 1.1M $262M 

Utah 3.2M $336M 

Colorado 5.7M $943M 

The cost figures presented in the fact sheets are based on information collected by each individual state. There may be differences between 

states’ methods of collection and categorization of these data. 

PREVENTION SAVES MONEY 

The best way to reduce motor vehicle crash costs is to 

prevent crashes. Some effective strategies for preventing 

crashes include: 

• automated red-light and speed-camera enforcement 

• comprehensive graduated driver licensing systems 

• publicized sobriety checkpoints 

• mandatory ignition interlocks for all (including 

first-time) offenders convicted of 

alcohol-impaired driving 

The next best way to reduce costs is to prevent injuries 

when crashes occur. Proven ways to prevent injuries during 

a crash include: 

• high-visibility enforcement of seat belt and child 

restraint laws 

• primary seat belt laws for all seating positions 

• laws that require car seat or booster seat use for 

children until at least age 9 

• distribution plus education programs for car seats 

and booster seats 

• bicycle helmet laws for children 

For more information about these and other effective programs, visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety.
	

CDC’S COST ESTIMATE TOOLS 

CDC’s interactive calculator, MV PICCS (Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator 

for States), was designed to help decision makers prioritize and select from a suite of 14 effective 

motor vehicle injury prevention interventions. At the state level, MV PICCS calculates the expected 

number and monetized value of injuries prevented and lives saved and the costs of implementation, 

while taking into account available resources. Visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/calculator. 

CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) is an online, interactive 

system that provides reports of injury-related data. To find the costs of various injury deaths and 

nonfatal injuries, visit www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. 

July 2020