Larimer County Traffic Safety Report: Roundabouts reducing number of crashes

The Board of Larimer County Commissioners was presented with the 2014 Traffic Safety Report at its weekly administrative matters meeting on April 14. The report, prepared by the county’s engineering department, annually assesses the safety of the unincorporated roadways in the county. In 2014, there were 441 crashes that resulted in 87 injuries. Four of those crashes resulted in five fatalities. The 2014 Safety Report can we found on the Virtual Courthouse Web site at http://larimer.org/engineering/traffic.htm.

Highlights from the 2014 Larimer County Traffic Safety Report:
· While the number of fatal crashes is low, the chances of a crash being fatal are over three times higher on a county road than on city streets or state highways.
· The total number of crashes in 2014 increased by almost 18 percent over 2013, reversing the downward trend since 2011.
· Motorcycle crashes are between 8 to 9 percent of all crashes, but result in a higher percentage of injuries and deaths. Seventy-eight percent of motorcycle crashes resulted in injury or death compared to 15 percent in vehicles.
· Two roundabout intersections installed by the county at Taft Hill Road/Vine Drive and CR 30 at Boyd Lake Avenue are showing increased safety. The overall number of crashes has gone down 22 percent; and 56 percent for severe crashes since the roundabouts became operational.

Three new roundabouts were constructed in 2014. They are located at the intersections of County Road 11 and County Road 30, County Road 11C and County Road 30, and County Road 19 and County Road 70. It is expected the number of severe crashes occurring at these intersections will be reduced as with the two roundabouts currently in operation.