Let's Catch Up
There were more than 17,000 total crashes, and 594 people were fatally or seriously injured between 2016 and 2022. During that period, 117 people lost their lives on Mesa County roads.
The Mesa County Safety Action Plan aims to identify solutions to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads across Mesa County. The plan will cover the entirety of Mesa County, including the cities of Grand Junction and Fruita and the towns of Palisade, Collbran, and De Beque. The plan will look at local data and peer research and will ultimately be built on a foundation of partnerships between a diverse group of stakeholders who strive to find solutions to make Mesa County roads safer for all users.
If you missed the first engagement touchpoint, explore the funding, schedule, and crash data below!
In 2023, the Mesa County Regional Transportation Planning Office announced $260,000 in funding from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Mesa County, the City of Grand Junction, City of Fruita, and Town of Palisade committed an additional $65,000 to develop the Safety Action Plan - bringing the project total to $325,000.
$260,000
$325,000
The Mesa County Safety Action Plan kicked off in October 2023 and will be developed throughout 2024. The final plan will be published in October 2024.
? Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program
In 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the SS4A program with $5 billion in appropriated funds between 2022 and 2026. The program provides financial support for the planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injuries on roads and streets involving all roadway users. After completion of the Mesa County Safety Action Plan, additional funding is available and will be pursued to implement recommendations from the plan.
Winter/Spring 2024
- Identify safety concerns
- Conduct existing conditions analysis
- Develop goals
- Online public event #1 and pop-up events
Summer 2024
- Draft safety solutions and strategies
- Create criteria for prioritization
- Online public event #2 and pop-up events
Fall 2024
- Present draft plan
- Finalize and publish plan
- Identify next steps for implementation
The project team analyzed seven years of data (2016-2022) and thousands of crashes to identify how, why, where, and when crashes occur in Mesa County. Understanding this crucial data will allow Mesa County to direct resources where they are needed most, and best address the root causes of crashes.
| Stat | Total Crashes | Fatal or Serious Injury Crashes | Fatal Crashes | Pedestrian Crashes | Bicycle Crashes | Motorcycle Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average per Year | 2,458 | 85 | 17 | 31 | 36 | 64 |
| 2016 - 2022 | 17,208 | 594 | 117 | 217 | 249 | 451 |
Total Crashes
Fatal or Serious Injury Crashes
Fatal Crashes
Pedestrian Crashes
Bicycle Crashes
Motorcycle Crashes
Fatal/Serious Injury Crashes by Year
From 2016-2022, there were 17,208 total crashes with 594 of those resulting in people getting killed or seriously injured. Of the 594 fatal and serious crashes, 117 of those crashes resulted in a fatality.
From 2019-2021, fatal crashes stayed relatively the same, while serious injury crashes increased. While there was a decline in the overall total of serious and fatal crashes in 2022, that year saw the most fatal crashes.
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Lighter orange colorEvident, Incapacitating Severity
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Darker orange colorFatal Severity
All Crashes by Location
12% of all crashes occurred in rural areas, however these crashes constitute 23% of all serious injury crashes and 35% of all fatal crashes.
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Lighter teal colorRural
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Darker teal colorUrban
Explore the Urban Data
Between 2016 and 2022, there were 14,710 total urban crashes with 440 of those being killed or seriously injured crashes. Of the 440 killed or seriously injured crashes, 76 of those crashes resulted in a fatality. There were also 212 urban pedestrian crashes, 308 urban bicyclists crashes, 354 urban motorcycle crashes. pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists all have a significantly higher killed or seriously injured rate than other crashes.
Crash Severity
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Lighter orange colorEvident, Incapacitating Severity
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Darker orange colorFatal Severity
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98%of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatality and Serious Injury crashes occur in urban areas
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24%of motorcycle crashes in urban areas resulted in death or serious injury
98%
Crash Locations
- 60% of urban crashes were intersection related. About half, 56% of these crashes were at un-signalized intersections.
60% of urban crashes were
intersection related. About half,
56% of these crashes were at
un-signalized intersections.
Contributing Factors
- Impairment is a factor in 23% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes.
- Speeding is a factor in 22% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes. Aggressive driving is the most common contributing factor.
- Vulnerable road users (such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists) are involved in 16% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes.
- 31% of urban crashes involved drivers under the age of 25.
Impairment is a factor in
23% of urban fatal and serious
injury crashes.
Speeding is a factor in
22% of urban fatal and serious
injury crashes. Aggressive driving is the most
common contributing factor.
Vulnerable road users (such as
pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists) are
involved in 16% of urban fatal
and serious injury crashes.
31% of urban crashes involved
drivers under the age of 25.
Explore the Rural Data
Between 2016 and 2022, there were 2,049 total crashes in rural Mesa County with 147 of those being crashes where people were killed or seriously injured. Of the crashes where people were killed or seriously injured, 41 of those crashes (almost 28%) resulted in a fatality. There were also 5 rural pedestrian crashes, 4 rural bicyclists crashes, 84 rural motorcycle crashes.
Crash Severity
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Lighter orange colorEvident, Incapacitating Severity
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Darker orange colorFatal Severity
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2%of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatality and Serious Injury crashes occur in rural areas
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49%of motorcycle crashes in rural areas resulted in death or serious injury
2%
Crash Locations
- 85% of rural crashes were non-intersection crashes. The majority, 73% occurred on state highways.
85% of rural crashes were
non-intersection crashes. The majority,
73% occurred on state highways.
Contributing Factors
- Impairment is a factor in 22% of rural fatal and serious injury crashes.
- Speeding is a factor in 44% of rural fatal and serious injury crashes. Aggressive driving is the most common contributing factor.
- Overturning accounts for 33% of rural fatal and serious injury crashes.
- Wild animals contribute to 12% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes (that do not include a vehicle-to-vehicle collision).
- 61% of rural crashes involved male drivers.
Overturning accounts for
33% of rural fatal and serious
injury crashes.
Wild animals contribute to
12% of urban fatal and serious
injury crashes (that do not include a
vehicle-to-vehicle collision).
61% of rural crashes involved
male drivers.
What We Heard from the Community
The first public engagement touchpoint for this project took place in the Spring of 2024 as an introduction to the project while gathering input on safety concerns, existing conditions, and goals. A self-guided online meeting was open from March 13 to April 28, 2024 and included an interactive comment map and survey. In addition, Mesa County attended community events with a comment map and directed visitors to the online meeting. Between the online meeting and events there were a total of roughly 1,169 participants.
Key Takeaways
- Most respondents primarily get around Mesa County by driving (90%), and the top secondary modes of travel were walking (37%) and biking (27%).
- Respondents rated Mesa County roadways on a scale of 1 (very unsafe) to 7 (very safe). The average rating was 4.
- Distracted driving (16%) and speeding vehicles (15%) were identified by respondents as top safety topics.
- When asked to rank desired safety improvements on Mesa County Roadways, respondents ranked the design of roadways and intersections first, traffic signal operations second, and enforcement third.
- 81% of respondents agree or strongly agree that their personal choices and driving behaviors play a role in safer roadways in Mesa County.
Additional Themes from Community Feedback
Over 250 written comments were provided through the interactive online map. These are the main themes identified in the comments.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure
- Issues with pedestrian and cyclist safety due to inadequate sidewalks, bike lanes, and crossings, particularly in areas with high-density housing, schools, and parks.
- Concerns about pedestrian safety, including the need for more crosswalks, improved visibility, and better education for drivers and pedestrians on rules of the road.
Speeding and Aggressive Driving
- Concerns about speeding, tailgating, and road rage, with suggestions for increased enforcement, higher penalties, and better education on traffic laws.
- Reports of street racing, dangerous driving habits, and crashes.
- Reports of many drivers exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph or more.
Traffic Signal Timing and Red-Light Runners
- Several intersections are highlighted for frequent red-light violations.
- Reports of issues with traffic signal timing, leading to frustration and red light running.
- Witnessing frequent instances of drivers running red lights, which poses a significant safety hazard.
Enforcement and Education
- Calls for stricter enforcement of traffic laws, including texting while driving, expired registrations, speeding, and red-light violations.
- Suggestions for community education in addressing road safety issues and increasing awareness of traffic laws.
Fatal and Serious Injury Locations
Below is a map of locations throughout Mesa County that have a high amount of people getting killed or seriously injured in crashes – the high injury network (HIN). The HIN identifies a series of intersections and streets that have the highest amount of people that have been killed and severely injured (KSI) in motor vehicle crashes.
The 2024 Mesa County High Injury Network used a 7-year historical data set (2016-2022) from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) statewide crash database and a third-party vendor contracted to geocode crashes with missing coordinates. A total of 592 crashes that resulted in serious injury or death (KSI) were identified within Mesa County, 548 of which were reported within the urban area. Of the 592 KSI crashes in Mesa County, 458 were located in the urban area. Of the 458 urban KSI crashes, 178 (38.9%) were considered for the intersection evaluation, 247 (53.9%) were considered in the segment evaluation, and 33 (7.2%) were not considered due to being located on local roadways.
Stay Involved
Thank you for your participation in the Mesa County Safety Action Plan! Your feedback and safety pledge are critical to making our roadways safer. Our team will take what we learned from the data and your feedback to create the draft Safety Action Plan that will be presented for comment this fall.
Register for the Western Colorado Transportation Safety Symposium!
Get ready for a full day conference designed to educate and connect you to the transportation safety community. This is an event for a diverse group of professionals, first responders, advocates, and community members seeking to acquire new knowledge in transportation safety, engage in dialogue, and establish connections with like-minded people. Don't miss this invaluable opportunity to be part of the movement to create a safe transportation system for all, right here in Western Colorado.
This event will take place on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at Colorado Mesa University. Claim your tickets by August 19. Lunch is included.
Register Now!Grand Valley Regional Transportation Plan
The Regional Transportation Planning Office is also currently developing the Grand Valley 2050 Regional Transportation Plan. To learn more about the project and provide input into the plan please visit the project website with an interactive map and survey.