Weld County Traffic Deaths Up 43% From Last Year

Weld County Traffic Deaths Up 43% From Last Year

No one wants to be in a car accident.  Most people try to avoid being in accidents. And officials in Weld County have spend tens of thousands of dollars campaigning for traffic safety.

But as of right now, Weld County Traffic Fatalities are up 43% from this time in 2011.The Denver Post did a sad story on 19-year-old Waylon Ehrlich, who was killed after getting drunk and losing control of his pickup in Weld County. He was death number 14, and right now Weld Country is up to 15 deaths on it’s roads in 2012. That’s a higher number than usual and it will just get worse as the year goes on.

The worst year for Weld traffic deaths was 2004 when 92 people were killed. Traffic deaths went down every year after that to a ten-year low of 41 last year. But the death toll is on track to easily surpass that number this year.

Weld County could reach 60 [traffic] fatalities by the end of 2012.

According to the story, there is not one specific reason for the increase in fatalities, but at least half of those killed so far were not wearing seat belts.

There are some patterns emerging with the deaths, according to to the Greeley Tribune:

  • Most were single-vehicle crashes.
  • Teens accounted for more victims than in the past two years combined.
  • Six victims were not wearing seat belts; the three motorcyclists had no helmets.
  • A drier-than-normal winter allowed for higher speeds.

Be safe and buckle up. If a cop gives you a ticket for not wearing your seat belt, he/she is not trying to be a jerk. They’re trying to save your life.

I’m just sayin’.

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