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The number of alcohol-related fatalities in the state of Colorado have fallen sharply from 2005 to 2009, according to a report compiled by Colorado personal injury law firm Bachus & Shanker, LLC. The report uses statistics from both the Colorado Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and contains graphical and mapped breakdowns of alcohol-related fatalities, accidents and arrests by county.
While Jefferson County saw a 67% decrease in alcohol-related fatalities from 2005 to 2009, it still had the highest number of traffic deaths at 84 alcohol-related deaths, according to the report. Denver County runs a close second with 80 deaths; however, this is a decrease of 25 percent from 2005 to 2009. Weld County ranks third with 74 DUI deaths, a decrease of 43 percent between 2005 to 2009. Phillips, Lincoln and Kiowa counties had no alcohol-related fatalities in the last five years, and 10 counties experienced the greatest decrease in fatalities from 2008 to 2009, with no DUI deaths recorded in 2009.
Colorado’s overall DUI fatality rate has steadily declined since 2005 despite an increase of deaths in many counties. Counties such as Routt, Denver and Fremont had increases of 29 to 200 percent. According to the NHTSA’s Fatality Reporting System, DUI deaths are three times more likely to occur at night and the victims are four times more likely to be male.
As organizations such as MADD and law enforcement continue to spread awareness on the dangers of DUI, the downward trend in alcohol-related fatalities may eventually spread throughout the state of Colorado. If you’ve been arrested for a DUI charge, make sure you get a good Colorado Springs criminal lawyer so that you don’t become a statistic.