SUMMIT COUNTY — Statistics on car crashes in Summit County released by Colorado State Patrol reveal that the number of fatal and injury accidents are decreasing, but the number of DUI crashes are on the rise.

In 2006, troopers in Colorado State Patrol Troop 6B, which covers Clear Creek and Summit counties, reported 687 accidents in Summit County.

Of those, troopers attributed nearly half - or 330 accidents - to drivers' exceeding a safe speed. Of the 330, 60 crashes occurred on Interstate 70 between milepost 210 and 212 on the grade from the Eisenhower Tunnel.

The second most likely reason for accidents was lane violations, including weaving and illegal lane changes, which represented 13.4 percent of all accidents.

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs ranked third highest, causing 47 accidents last year (45 were attributed to DUI, while two were attributed to drugs). That's a 60-percent increase from 2005, said Troop 6B Capt. Ron Prater. Prater said he couldn't speculate on why the numbers skyrocketed in 2006.

"I was surprised," Prater said. "I think we're bucking a national trend, we're going backward."

The highest incident of accidents in Summit County occurred on I-70 between milepost 209 and 215 - just above the lower truck ramp to the Eisenhower Tunnel. That stretch is designated as a targeted safe zone, which is an area identified as the most dangerous, and therefore the focus of most of the troop's limited resources.

Last year, 134 accidents occurred in this 6-mile portion of the interstate, compared with 155 in 2005. Injuries resulted in 30 of the crashes, however there were no fatalities. The 14-percent decrease exceeded CSP's target of reducing injury and fatal accidents by 4 percent in the target zone, Prater said.

The second most accident-prone zone was the 21-mile section of Highway 9 between Hoosier Pass and Frisco. There were 75 accidents there last year, a slight increase from 73 the year before. Twenty-three crashes were speed-related and four were linked to DUIs. Accidents were most likely to occur there on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Vehicle accidents on Highway 9 between the north end of Silverthorne to the Grand County line jumped to 49 from 29 in 2005. Of the 49, 20 were speed-related and eight were animal-caused. There were two fatal accidents on the 22-mile segment in 2006, both of which resulted from driver error, and the victim in each case wasn't wearing the seatbelt properly, Prater said.

"The problem up there is really a driver issue as opposed to a roadway issue," he said.

Accidents on that stretch of roadway occurred most often on Friday between noon and 3 p.m. and 8 and 11 p.m.

On Highway 6 between the Dillon Cemetery and where the highway joins I-70 in Clear Creek County, there were 47 accidents in 2006, representing a significant drop from 79 the year before. Part of the reason for the decrease is the addition of a traffic light at Swan Mountain Road and Highway 6, an intersection where 10 accidents took place in 2005 before the light was installed.

Troop 6B investigated six fatal accidents in 2006 in Summit County, the same as 2005, Prater said.

Overall, injury and fatal accidents fell by 2.7 percent from 2005 to 2006, beating the troop's 2-percent goal, Prater said.

Still there is always more that can be done. Students at the University of Northern Colorado are currently studying CSP's statistics to draw out trends, and their analysis will help CSP determine how to decrease car accidents on Colorado's roadways.

Prater said he believes most car crashes could be avoided if people would slow down, wear their seatbelts correctly and give driving the attention it deserves.

"The vast, vast, vast majority of accidents are no accident," Prater said. "They're preventable."

The Colorado State Patrol is the state's primary traffic enforcement agency. Statewide, its law enforcement officers investigate 30 percent of all vehicle accidents and 70 percent of all fatal crashes.



Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com.