DENVER, CO — A new report lists the worst counties in Colorado for drinking and driving fatalities, and the City and County of Denver was ranked No. 14, just behind Adams and Arapahoe counties. Jefferson (No. 11) and Douglas (No. 10) are the two worst metro Denver counties for drinking and driving deaths, according to the Denver Trial Lawyers report.
The study examined crash report data from 2013 to 2019 for the 15 counties in our state with more than 50,000 residents. More than 900 people have been killed in alcohol-related accidents in Colorado over the past six years.
Even with a population of over 700,000, Denver County has a relatively low rate of alcohol-related fatal accidents. Across 37 total accidents in 2019, 41 people were killed.
With a population of just under 575,000, Jefferson County has an average of 1.74 alcohol-related crash fatalities per 100,000 residents, according to the report. In 2019, there have been 58 reported accidents involving alcohol that have killed a total of 60 people in Jeffco.
Fatal alcohol-related accidents per 100,000 people:
- La Plata – 30.28
- Eagle – 16.74
- Pueblo – 15.42
- Washington – 13.85
- Mesa – 9.45
- Garfield – 8.46
- Weld – 6.02
- Larimier – 5.77
- El Paso – 2.43
- Douglas – 1.79
- Jefferson – 1.74
- Broomfield – 1.71
- Boulder – 1.24
- Denver – 0.97
- Adams – 0.55
The most dangerous county for alcohol-related crash fatalities in Colorado is La Plata, which has a population of around 55,500. There were 97 alcohol-related accidents that have killed 101 people in the county, according to the report.
