US Route 85 fatal crashes in Colorado
FARS records 146 fatal crashes with 171 deaths on US Route 85 in Colorado from 2015 to 2024.
In 2024 it records 23 fatal crashes with 23 deaths on the route.
By fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, US Route 85 was number 6 of the 40 routes of Colorado with a page.
Fatal crashes on US Route 85 rose by 55.3% between the ten years 2005 to 2014 (94) and the ten years 2015 to 2024 (146).
In Colorado they rose by 31.0% between the same years.
From 2015 to 2024, a speeding-related driver was recorded in 27.4% of fatal crashes on US Route 85 and 35.4% in Colorado.
To qualify as a FARS case, the crash had to involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.
The set of first files, known as the Annual Report File (ARF), is released following the crash year. The ARF is replaced about a year later with a final file, which contains additional cases or updates to cases that had become available after the ARF was released.
NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on .
This page rests on the FARS 2024 annual file. NHTSA released it on . NHTSA can revise the counts in the final file. Release dates
Table 1 has the numbers. Go to the table
Since the last update: no figure of this route has a change on record.
Fatal crashes by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 23 | 23 |
| 2023 | 14 | 14 |
| 2022 | 11 | 16 |
| 2021 | 11 | 14 |
| 2020 | 13 | 16 |
| 2019 | 13 | 16 |
| 2018 | 18 | 22 |
| 2017 | 11 | 11 |
| 2016 | 18 | 19 |
| 2015 | 14 | 20 |
| 2014 | 9 | 9 |
| 2013 | 8 | 10 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 |
| 2011 | 7 | 8 |
| 2010 | 12 | 13 |
| 2009 | 9 | 9 |
| 2008 | 14 | 15 |
| 2007 | 14 | 16 |
| 2006 | 9 | 9 |
| 2005 | 9 | 9 |
| 2004 | 13 | 15 |
| 2003 | 12 | 13 |
| 2002 | 17 | 20 |
| 2001 | 17 | 22 |
| 2000 | 16 | 17 |
Note: the route is the trafficway that FARS records for the crash. The records of routes start in 2000. A count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2".
Counties on the route
| County | On the route | On all roads of the county |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 23 | 591 |
| Arapahoe County | 9 | 464 |
| Denver County | 13 | 581 |
| Douglas County | 13 | 192 |
| El Paso County | 8 | 681 |
| Weld County | 80 | 508 |
Note: the table has the counties where FARS records a fatal crash on the route in these years.
Factors that NHTSA records
| Factor | Count | Counted among | Share | Share on all roads of Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A driver recorded as drinkingof 146 fatal crashes | 56 | 146 fatal crashes | 34.1% | |
| A speeding-related driverof 146 fatal crashes | 40 | 146 fatal crashes | 35.4% | |
| Pedestriansof 171 deaths | 12 | 171 deaths | 14.1% | |
| Motorcyclistsof 171 deaths | 26 | 171 deaths | 19.4% |
Note: FARS records a driver as drinking when police reported alcohol involvement or a test of the driver was positive for alcohol. It is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure. One crash can be in two rows. NHTSA's definitions
Note that alcohol data is often missing. For that reason, this data element may under-count the actual number of drinking drivers.
Time of day
| Time of day | Fatal crashes | Share | Share on all roads of Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight to 6 a.m. | 37 | 25.3% | 17.6% |
| 6 a.m. to noon | 27 | 18.5% | 19.4% |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | 45 | 30.8% | 31.1% |
| 6 p.m. to midnight | 37 | 25.3% | 31.9% |
Note: the table has the fatal crashes with a known hour.
Mile ranges
| Milepoint | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Mile 205 to 210 | 10 |
| Mile 225 to 230 | 11 |
| Mile 235 to 240 | 11 |
| Mile 240 to 245 | 13 |
| Mile 245 to 250 | 9 |
| Mile 250 to 255 | 10 |
Note: the table has the six ranges of five miles with the largest counts, in the order of the milepoint. 100 percent of the fatal crashes on the route have a milepoint in FARS. A state can start its milepoints again at a county line.
Routes in the same counties
These routes of Colorado have a fatal crash on record in one or more of the same counties. The list is for navigation. The number is the fatal crashes on the route from 2015 to 2024.
Official channels
- NHTSA Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)NHTSA's query tool for FARS counts.
- NHTSA FARS EncyclopediaNHTSA's tables of FARS data.
- Colorado Office of Transportation SafetyThe highway safety office of Colorado.
These links go to the sites of the agencies. They were checked on .
Cite this page
Fatal Roads. US Route 85 fatal crashes in Colorado. https://fatalroads.com/route/co/us-85/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to .
The address of this page does not change.
Source of the figures
Counts: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national files of 2000 to 2024. A route page is built for a signed Interstate, US or state route with 20 or more fatal crashes in a state in ten years. Data to . The figures are totals. No page of this site is about one crash or one person.
How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections.
Questions
How many fatal crashes did FARS record on US Route 85 in the ten years before 2015?
FARS records 94 fatal crashes on US Route 85 in Colorado from 2005 to 2014. It records 146 from 2015 to 2024.
What part of the fatal crashes in Colorado was on US Route 85?
146 of the 6,017 fatal crashes in Colorado from 2015 to 2024 were on US Route 85. That is 2.4 percent.
How many fatal crashes on US Route 85 had a driver recorded as drinking?
FARS records a driver as drinking in 56 of 146 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 40 of them.
Does this page count the same route number in a different state?
No. This page counts the fatal crashes that FARS records on US Route 85 in Colorado only. The route in a different state has its own page.