LONE TREE, Colo. — Lone Tree police say crashes on Interstate 25 are on pace to exceed last year's total as officers and drivers alike report increasingly dangerous driving behavior along one of Colorado's busiest highway corridors.
"We have to change the behaviors here on I-25," Lone Tree Police Commander Joe Deland told Denver7's Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito.
▶️ Denver7's Tyler Melito speaks with residents and police about rising concerns over dangerous driving along I-25
Deland said Lone Tree PD and surrounding agencies have been working on targeted enforcement along I-25 to try to change the driver behavior, but it can be a struggle.
"We've done several operations with different jurisdictions up and down I-25 to make sure we're out here, we're being present, we're being seen to try to change those behaviors," Deland explained. "We've had multiple officers be hit on the highway. Myself, I've been hit twice here working on the highway. So it's a very dangerous situation."
Deland said that through July 31, Lone Tree PD has responded to 587 crashes on I-25; two of those crashes were fatal. In all of 2025, Lone Tree PD responded to 939 crashes on the interstate, putting 2026 on pace to surpass 2025.
Drivers who regularly use the interstate say they have noticed many of the same dangerous behaviors.
Cynthia Johnson, a Castle Pines resident who drives that stretch of I-25 nearly every day, said she has expressed her concerns on Nextdoor.
"What would you say is your main concern when you get on the highway, and you see people driving on the road?" Melito asked.
"My life," Johnson replied.
Johnson says she's noticed drivers speeding, driving while distracted, driving aggressively, swerving in and out of traffic, and other behaviors that worry her.
"There's a lot of passing, there's a lot of people that are in a hurry. There are a lot of people that aren't paying attention," she said. "They're not being courteous drivers."
She has her thoughts on why people's driving behaviors have changed over the last few years.
"I think it's part of our world today," Johnson outlined. "I can't say that everybody's in a great big hurry, but just because they can go 75, they go 75. Because they can go 75, they go 80 or 85."
Johnson said concerns about other drivers have led her to alter her driving behavior.
"I drive slower, and I typically am driving the speed limit. I really am mindful about everybody that's around me," Johnson detailed.
She has also thought of what could be done to make the road safer.
"A lower speed limit, posting a minimum speed limit, posting those signs that say high traffic or high accident area," Johnson said. "I think you know some police surveillance."
Deland said Lone Tree PD is looking at ways to address driving behavior while also keeping officers safe.
"As the Lone Tree Police Department, we want to take every opportunity, whatever that is," Deland said. "So if it's reducing the speed limits, again, that involves everybody in the air in the region, including CDOT, to come to the table to do things like that.
Deland said speed cameras could help curb dangerous driving on I-25, but Colorado currently does not allow their use on highways after a related bill failed to pass this year.
If you are in Lone Tree on I-25 and see dangerous driving, Deland asks that you reach out.
"If they see dangerous driving that is causing an immediate danger to the public, they can call 911 and let us know. If it's something they want to report after the fact, they can remember the license plate and then call our non-emergency number later. But if it's causing an immediate danger to the public, they can call 911 to make sure if we have somebody in the area, we can appropriately respond," Deland outlined.
Denver7 asked CDOT about the process for changing highway speed limits. The agency had not responded by publication time.
