On April 7, 2021, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado State Patrol conducted a joint traffic safety operation on I-25 throughout El Paso County. In 2020, El Paso County led the state in traffic fatalities at 84. In an effort to impact aggressive driving behaviors, such as speeding, these three partner agencies came together to make a difference in our community through this joint operation. The operation itself took place from the El Paso/Pueblo County line to the El Paso/Douglas County line between 6:30 A.M. and 3:30 P.M. Approximately 34 law enforcement officers took part in the operation.
Throughout 2021, the I-25 corridor has consistently been part of the top crash locations in El Paso County. During yesterday’s operation, Deputies, Officers, and Troopers:
- Contacted 266 motorists
- Issued 311 citations
- Took 3 DUI drivers off the roadway
- Recovered 8 firearms
- Made 2 felony arrests
Law Enforcement also cited several drivers for going at least 90 mph on I-25. Drivers going triple digit speeds was not unheard of, and one driver was cited for going 102 mph. These speeds are unsafe for everyone, no matter what the driver’s experience level. Law Enforcement regularly encounters drivers going in speeds in excess of the posted 65 mph limit in the City of Colorado Springs, and the drivers cited in the safety deployment were going well above that limit.
CSPD Chief Vince Niski said, “Over the past several years, the Pikes Peak Region has experienced a tragic rise in fatal and serious injury collisions. Many of these crashes involved dangerous driving behavior – speeding, running red lights, and other violations – that put our citizens at risk. We are committed to reducing collisions through traffic enforcement and education, and are proud to work with other area agencies in reducing the risk aggressive driving poses across our region.”
EPSO Sheriff Bill Elder said, “It is an honor to continue working with all of our Public Safety partners in the region in these traffic enforcement efforts. It is our sincere hope that increased enforcement will make El Paso County safer and assist in creating a culture of voluntary compliance of our traffic laws. We hope you will join us in this very important initiative to make everyone in El Paso County safe when driving on our roadways.”
CSP Captain John Lupton said, “Your Colorado State Troopers continue to make daily efforts to gain voluntary compliance with state traffic laws so that there are no more needless deaths in traffic collisions. It is our privilege to listen to our citizens, and to enforce those violations that they have told us in surveys and meetings make them feel the most endangered while driving on our state highways and interstates. We are honored to be working in concert with our law enforcement partners across the Pikes Peak Region in saving lives, and enforcing violations that often end in crashes. It is our hope that we will gain voluntary compliance, as the life you save may very well be your own."