By Shaina Cole | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
Each afternoon, my three-mile commute home in Denver’s metro area is a nerve-wrecking ordeal. Drivers speed through stop signs, ignore red lights, or stop inexplicably at unmarked intersections. Cars swerve across lanes, straddle the center line, or disrupt four-way stops.
Vehicles without plates, with expired tags, or overdue permits are all too common.
As a single-income earner with only liability insurance, I dread a crash with an uninsured driver.
One accident could destroy my car—my lifeline to work and rent.
Since 2020, Denver’s roads have descended into chaos. I believe the combination of unenforced traffic laws, a 25% rise in undocumented immigration, and soaring cost of living fuels this disaster.
Reckless driving doesn’t just endanger lives; it burdens taxpayers with crushing expenses.
The data underscores the crisis. Denver County accidents surged 48%, from 22,905 in 2020 to 33,922 in 2023, per the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT Crash Data).
My commute reflects this—texting drivers, speeders, and rule-breakers are routine.
These incidents cost taxpayers millions in emergency services, road repairs, and healthcare. Colorado’s 17.5% uninsured driver rate, among the nation’s worst, adds $1 billion annually in unpaid damages (CPR).
Rising costs exacerbate the strain: Denver’s cost of living increased 15.3% from 2020 to 2024, with housing up 21% and transportation costs, including vehicle insurance, rising 18% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI).
Auto insurance premiums in Colorado jumped 53% from 2013 to 2023, with a 55% spike for some Denver businesses in 2023 alone, driven by thefts and accidents (Denver Post).
Colorado’s traffic laws aim to curb risks, with measures like 2023’s expanded speed cameras, a 2025 hands-free driving ban, and rules for roadside vehicle safety (SB 23-200, CDOT Hands-Free Law, CDOT Move Over Law).
Yet, enforcement is scarce. Police patrols are rare on my route, often tied to emergency responses rather than prevention.
After 2020, Senate Bill 20-217 tightened traffic stop rules, coinciding with staffing shortages that shifted focus to violent crime (SB 20-217). Denver’s traffic stops plunged nearly 50% in 2024 after a policy shift away from low-level violations, per the Denver Police Department (Denver Post).
This fosters a sense that reckless driving goes unchecked, as noted by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
Unlicensed drivers heighten the danger. Up to 13% of U.S. drivers may lack licenses, though Colorado data is sparse (FAIR, Unlicensed to Kill).
In Denver, an estimated 10,000–15,000 unlicensed drivers may struggle with driving tests, English signage, or traffic law knowledge, based on national studies and DMV trends (NHTSA, 2021 Traffic Safety Facts). Another 5,000–10,000 likely lost licenses due to violations like DUI or unpaid fines, per state records (DMV Driver Records).
These drivers, often uninsured, contribute to hit-and-runs and accidents, inflating public costs.
A 25% rise in undocumented immigration from 2020–2024, with 56,535 net international migrants to Denver, may add to this pool, though direct links to accidents are unclear (Axios, Denverite).
Rising living costs, including a 21% housing cost surge, likely strain budgets, leading some to drive without insurance or licenses to save money, further risking road safety.
As accidents climbed from 2020 to 2023, unenforced laws and economic pressures fueled chaos, draining public funds through damages and lost productivity.
CDOT’s Vision Zero goal of zero deaths by 2030 feels unattainable (CDOT Vision Zero).
Voters approved Proposition 130 in 2024, allocating $350 million to bolster law enforcement (CPR).
But Denver needs more: regular patrols, strict licensing checks, and campaigns to enforce traffic laws as vital safeguards.
For people like me, a crash could mean financial ruin—lost wages, medical bills, or a totaled car.
Non-enforcement, illegal immigration surges, and rising costs don’t just risk lives; they impose life-altering burdens on us all.
Denver must restore order to its roads to protect our wallets and our futures.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.