State patrol targets Pueblo speeders, impaired drivers after substantial 2022 increases
Colorado State Patrol saw significant increases in motorists driving under the influence, speeding and aggressive driving in 2022, according to Capt. Michael Tafoya of CSP's Troop 2D, which covers an area from the Pueblo-El Paso county line to the New Mexico border.
"In 2022, we made about 208 proactive DUI arrests, about a 10% increase over 2021," Tafoya said, "but there's some factors that go into that. (Since 2021) we've lost a number of troopers, so our ability to be out proactively enforcing the law has been diminished, but impaired driving is in fact still contributing to fatal and injury crashes."
Tafoya said two roadways are particularly concerning to troop 2D: Interstate 25 through Pueblo County and U.S. Highway 50, particularly U.S. 50 East. "We've seen an increase of 50% in our fatal crash rate on those two roadways, and 45% in impaired driving contributing to that," he said, for which there are a few contributing factors.
"For one, I don't think anyone would deny that the population of southern Colorado is growing, so we get far more motorists on our roadways, as well as far more pedestrians and cyclists on the road. As more people move into Pueblo ... the mindset they bring from up north comes with them," he said.
Tafoya elaborated that in northern Colorado, particularly in the Denver metropolitan area, people have far shorter distances to travel when they go out drinking, whereas in less densely populated southern Colorado, traveling distances are significantly farther, creating more risk for accidents to occur.
"Not to say that people up there have less regard, just different environments ... brings different circumstances," he said.
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Additionally, following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, state patrol has seen far more reports of aggressive driving, including "excessive" speeding between 95 and 110 mph, vehicles passing others on road shoulders, and even driving into oncoming traffic, both sober and drunk, Tafoya said.
"It's just a lack of due regard for other motorists on the highway," he said.
A significant percentage of DUI offenders are people who have been contacted before, Tafoya said, and repeat offenders are "certainly an issue" for DUI offenses.
Troop 2D also has observed a 400% increase in pedestrians hit by automobiles along I-25, U.S. 50, and most significantly, U.S. 50 Business. Tafoya primarily attributes that increase to a growing population of unhoused individuals in Pueblo County.
"That is the most significant increase year-to-year I've seen in our fatal crash count," he said, stating that while many unhoused people live east of the interstate, most services available to them are to the west, causing them to cross the highway at the risk of being struck by a vehicle traveling at high speed.
Another major factor in fatal crashes is a lack of seatbelt usage, he said, with Pueblo County ranked last in the state for seatbelt compliance.
Only 67% of Pueblo County residents wear a seatbelt regularly, according to a 2022 survey conducted by CDOT. "That leaves a significant portion of our population not using a seatbelt, which is a very significant factor in injuries and fatal crashes," Tafoya said.
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In 2023, Tafoya said Troop 2D's goal is to reduce fatality crashes by 20-22% on Pueblo County highways and impaired driving crashes by 20%. CSP reported 24 fatal crashes in 2022, with five reported by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office and 13 by the Pueblo Police Department, for a total of 40 fatalities in the county.
To reduce fatal crashes, he said, state patrol is conducting once a month "surge operations," prioritizing enforcement for seatbelt usage, impaired driving, and speed. Surge operations focus on two roadways a month, with every trooper on the road.
"You can bet that I-25 and U.S. 50 East will be on our radar," he said.
Additionally, several members of Troop 2D are instructors for Pillar — a CSP program for schools and businesses that delivers "traffic safety, well-being, and critical thinking lessons based on the requests of teachers and managers" on an age-appropriate basis, according to its website.
State patrol also is working with the student life coordinator at Pueblo Community College to set up an educational program there, as most seatbelt offenders are high school- to early-college-age, according to Tafoya.
Tafoya urges the community to drive safely, and be cautious behind the wheel in 2023.
"I want people to know that state troopers will be out in force in 2023, with zero tolerance for (the issues of excessive speeding, impaired driving, and seatbelt violations)," he said.
"Consider the consequences of your decisions behind the wheel — sometimes the consequences can be much more severe than a ticket."
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado State Patrol targeting Pueblo speeders, impaired drivers
