Most Dangerous Roads/Intersections in Denver, CO
Traffic planners, police officers, and drivers know traffic crashes cluster in certain locations. These locations might include geographic features, such as a valley that naturally funnels the wind. But more often, collisions tend to cluster due to a confluence of factors that amplify bad driving behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, and turning unsafely.
Colorado allows you to pursue personal injury compensation after a car accident caused by driver negligence. If you get injured on the most dangerous roads/intersections in Denver, CO, a lawyer from Zaner Harden Personal Injury Lawyers can review your crash and determine the strength of your claim.
Contact our Denver car accident attorneys at (720) 613-9706 for a free initial consultation to discuss your legal options.
How Zaner Harden Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Car Accident in Denver, CO
Zaner Harden Personal Injury Lawyers has fought for injured people in Denver and their right to fair compensation for their injuries. Our Denver car accident lawyers have recovered tens of millions of dollars in financial compensation, including several record-setting verdicts and settlements.
If you suffer an injury in a crash in Denver, Colorado, our attorneys can help you by providing:
- A free case evaluation to help you understand the value of your case and your legal rights
- Assistance to prepare your insurance claim and negotiate aggressively for a settlement
- A team of seasoned litigators to take your case to court if the insurer refuses to settle for a fair amount
Car accident injuries can leave you with chronic pain and disabilities. Contact Zaner Harden Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss how you suffered your injuries and what we can do to help you pursue compensation.
How Dangerous Are Denver’s Roads?
Colorado has a reputation for fairly safe roads. Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and other large Colorado cities sat toward the top of Allstate’s most recent America’s Best Drivers Report in 2019.
But Denver does not share this reputation. The city has crash statistics that put it near comparable western metropolitan areas like Sacramento, San Diego, and Seattle. These cities share characteristics like heavy traffic and far too many distracted drivers.
In 2022, Denver had 14,892 total traffic accidents, according to the Colorado Crash Data Dashboard.
These crashes included:
- 373 pedestrian accidents
- 177 bicycle accidents
- 4,126 single-vehicle accidents
The remaining 10,766 multi-vehicle accidents resulted from collisions between two or more cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, motorcycles, and large trucks. As the state’s most populous city, these crashes represent the largest concentration of traffic collisions in Colorado.
Crash Hotspots in Denver, CO
The most common causes of vehicle crashes involve human errors.
But factors such as road design and traffic congestion can invite and amplify bad driving habits, such as:
- Visual obstructions and blind alleys can lead to intersection crashes
- Fast speed limits can invite speeding crashes
- Heavy traffic can lead to tailgating and rear-end collisions
Policymakers and police officers use crash patterns to help improve the safety of the most dangerous roads and intersections. Personal injury lawyers and insurers use crash hotspots to understand how accidents happen and who bears the liability for them.
Dangerous Roads in Denver
Road crashes in Denver typically involve rear-end or sideswipe crashes. While road collisions can also occur head-on, these crashes are relatively rare at just 3.9% of all crashes. Rear-end collisions happen when vehicles follow each other too closely based on their speed. In other words, a safe following distance driving at 20 miles per hour may be too close at 45 miles per hour.
In a rear-end crash, one vehicle smashes into the back end of another vehicle. A sideswipe collision happens when a vehicle moves sideways into another vehicle, so they collide side to side.
Some roads in Denver that form the high-injury network mapped by Denver’s Vision Zero planners include the following:
- I-25/US-85
- Alameda Ave., west of Logan St.
- Broadway St
- 8th Ave., west of I-25/US-85
- Morrison Rd.
- Sheridan Blvd.
- Wadsworth Blvd.
In Downtown Denver, the high-injury network includes:
- Colfax Ave.
- Larimer St.
- Lawrence St.
- 14th St.
- 18th St.
- 19th St.
- 20th St.
These roads are also the city’s busiest. As a result, avoiding these roads may be difficult.
Dangerous Intersections in Denver
Intersections are some of the most dangerous locations for vehicle collisions. While most drivers respect the rules defining the right of way at intersections, those who do not can cause severe injuries or even death.
Intersection crashes usually happen when someone fails to yield the right of way. As a result, a vehicle ends up in the intersection unexpectedly. Since the other driver did not anticipate the other vehicle, they might be traveling at high speeds when they collide.
Some intersections in the high-injury network include:
- Five-way intersection of 29th Ave., 15th St., Umatilla St., and Boulder St.
- Interchange of I-70 and I-25
- Federal Blvd. and Colfax Ave.
- Federal Blvd. and Evans Ave.
- Park Ave. and 17th Ave.
Intersection accidents can also involve pedestrians. Some pedestrian accident hotspots include Colfax Ave. at Broadway St. and Lincoln St. near the state capitol.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Skilled Auto Accident Lawyers in Denver
Car crashes in Denver can happen anywhere. Contact Zaner Harden Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to learn about your options for pursuing compensation after your car accident on Denver’s dangerous roads and intersections.
