On Friday, Colorado State Patrol released new numbers showing the impact of distracted driving.
Data from CSP shows that in 2025, law enforcement officers investigated 4,607 cases of lane violations, 2,954 cases of speeding, 2,919 cases of following too close, and 1,883 cases of failing to yield the right of way.
CSP said distracted driving was involved in many of those traffic violations.
“A lot of the times people don't realize that it (distracted driving) leads to more speeding, it leads to lane violations or weaving outside of your lane. These are all things that we can obviously see you do in your rearview,” Colorado State Trooper Hunter Mathews said.
According to CSP, for every second a driver looks at their phone while driving 50 mph, they’ve traveled 73.33 feet without their eyes on the road. At 75 mph, it becomes 110 feet per second.
On an upcoming episode of Real Talk with Micah Smith on dangerous driving, Mathews and community advocates share what they've witnessed on Colorado roadways.
“When it comes to dangerous driving, community — that’s on us. That’s not a system at play, that is not anything that we need to be looking for structural systemic change behind, that is just a conscious choice of how you choose to engage in community,” MiDian Shofner, CEO of the Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership said.
Full episodes of Real Talk with Micah Smith air Sundays at 5:30 p.m. on Denver7.
