Last Week: No One Died Traveling Around Denver; Pedestrian and Bicyclist Seriously Hurt

From September 4 through September 9, no one died on Denver’s streets — a rarity in a city that averages more than one traffic death per week. (That sad streak didn’t last. A motorist ended the life of someone walking late yesterday.)

On Sunday, a driver injured one person walking at — surprise — Federal Boulevard and Evans Avenue. Before that, on Wednesday, a motorist struck someone biking near Montview Boulevard and Eudora Street. The victim suffered a serious bodily injury, according to the Denver Police Department.

Six people on motorcycles suffered life-changing injuries in the six-day span. Two people in cars were also badly hurt.

Denver’s “serious bodily injury” count passed 200 for the first time this year.

With this series, we aim to remind politicians, transportation officials, local media, and the public that the cost of inaction on traffic safety policies is extremely high. The longer it takes to redesign our car-centric streets, the more people will get hurt or killed.

The Hancock administration and Denver PD still lack a protocol for alerting the public to serious traffic collisions and tallying them accurately, despite the mayor’s ostensible commitment ending traffic deaths, announced more than two years ago. Hopefully documenting this information, gathered from Denver PD reports, will help drive change from decision-makers and elevate the profile of this public health crisis.

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