In-Depth look at Western Slope crash data as “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” begin
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - The “100 deadliest days of summer” began on May 25, marking the start of a period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when crashes reach annual highs in Colorado.
“We’re seeing an increase on teen drivers, tourists that are coming to our roads. We’re seeing a lot of people that are doing impaired driving or doing excessive speed,” said Chuck Marsh, Regional Communications Director for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
KJCT analyzed 2025 crash data collected from CDOT. According to the data, around 976 crashes happened in Mesa County between May and September of 2025. Adding Montrose County crashes brings the number up to 1,213 during that period. The total crashes for the entire year between the two counties was around 2,820.
Data provided through the Mesa County Safety Action Plan reports around 2,400 crashes in 2024, meaning there were nearly 15% more crashes in 2025.
“Last year, unfortunately, we did have way more fatals than we should in this city,” said Kevin Bavor, a Traffic Patrol Officer with the Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD). “Our numbers almost doubled last year compared to previous years.”
The CDOT data reports a trend in rear-end crashes; however, Bavor and Rachael Peterson, Senior Transportation Planner with Mesa County, said something else caught their attention.
“The thing that we’re seeing at least kind of on the trend level is a high increase of vulnerable road user types of serious injuries and fatalities,” Peterson said.
Vulnerable road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and construction workers.
Peterson and Bavor note that a lot of these incidents occur at specific intersections in Grand Junction:
- North 12th Street and North Avenue
- North Avenue and 7th Street
- North 12th Street and Patterson
- North 7th Street and Patterson
Combined data from CDOT and Mesa County’s Safety Action Plan show the intersection at North 12th Street and North Avenue had around 14 injuries occur between 2024 and 2025. North Avenue and 7th Street saw 18 injuries. North 12th Street and Patterson saw 19 injuries.
These intersections are placed along Patterson Road and North Avenue, two of the largest corridors in Grand Junction.
“The engineering designs of the past haven’t necessarily led to great context, if you will, to help keep speeds down on particular corridors,” said Trent Prall, Engineering and Transportation Director for Grand Junction.
Prall said roads like Patterson and North were originally designed wider, which could make drivers more comfortable to drive faster.
The roads have been on the city’s radar for some time, and officials are working on improvements to slow speeds.
“Say like 12th Street north of Patterson, speed limit is 35, and we know by putting some medians in there that helps keep that context a little slower,” Prall said.
The city has also been investing in roundabouts. According to Prall, there are nearly 30 roundabouts across the Grand Valley. In these areas, some of which used to be intersections, the severity of crashes has lowered, and traffic officers have noticed.
“Through that engineering piece of those roundabouts, we’ve really saved a lot of people’s lives,” Bavor said.
Agencies such as CDOT, GJPD, and Colorado State Patrol are partners in the Summer Safety Task Force, a way to educate and inform the community. Grand Junction and Mesa County agencies also began the Safer Streets for All program in 2023. All of which are designed to help educate, inform, and work toward solutions for safer streets.
“It’s allowed us to really all focus our efforts as a region on traffic safety and transportation safety,” said Eric Macko, Transportation Engineer for the City of Grand Junction. “It has also strategized how we plan to do all of that and opened us up for potential funding opportunities.”
“The more that we can amplify the message, whether it’s through the police or through the state patrol or through CDOT avenues, means that we’re meeting more people,” said Chuck Marsh.
Traffic projects happen almost daily, but the number one cause of crashes always goes back to human behavior. Officials urge drivers and pedestrians to remain vigilant and follow traffic laws. Officials say their biggest tips for road safety are to drive sober, limit distractions, maintain distance, buckle up and slow down.
“We’ve got to change our culture to be more safety oriented, not just in our community, but across the country,” Prall said.