22 percent of Colorado drivers admit to reading texts while driving in CDOT survey

DENVER — Colorado drivers admitted they're not the safest behind the wheel in a survey sent out to drivers across the state. 

Chief among the findings from the Colorado Department of Transportation survey is 22 percent of drivers admit to at the very least reading text messages while driving. Fifteen percent admitted to responding to a text they read. 

"This survey provides us with a good but disturbing snapshot of what is actually happening on Colorado roadways," Darrell Lingk, director of CDOT's Office of Transportation Safety, said.

Denver7 spent thirty minutes at the intersection of Lincoln St. and 8th Ave. in Denver during rush hour to see how many drivers we're using their phones while driving. In thirty minutes, our cameras found 28 different drivers using their phones at the red light. 

Last year over 600 people died on Colorado roadways in a historic year for traffic deaths. State officials point to driving under the influence, speed and distracted driving as factors. 

The CDOT survey found that 69 percent of Coloradans admitted to speeding, with 24 percent admitting to speeding all or most of the time. 

CDOT collected the data through 845 surveys filled out by drivers from all corners of the state. Read more of the findings from the study here.