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US Route 85
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 146Deaths 171Counties 6Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
US Route 85 in Colorado was the trafficway in 146 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 171 people died.
That is 2.4% of the 6,017 fatal crashes in Colorado over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 55% from 94 in 2005–2014 to 146 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Weld County (80), Adams County (23) and Douglas County (13) and 3 other counties.
38.4% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Colorado: 34.1%) and 27.4% had a speeding-related driver (35.4%); pedestrians were 7.0% and motorcyclists 15.2% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Colorado
| Measure | US Route 85 | Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 146 | 6,017 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 171 | 6,518 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 2.4% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +55% | +31% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-85 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weld County | 80 | 55% | 508 |
| 2 | Adams County | 23 | 16% | 591 |
| 3 | Douglas County | 13 | 9% | 192 |
| 4 | Denver County | 13 | 9% | 581 |
| 5 | Arapahoe County | 9 | 6% | 464 |
| 6 | El Paso County | 8 | 5% | 681 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 85 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Colorado share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 240–245 | 13 | 9% |
| Mile 225–230 | 11 | 8% |
| Mile 235–240 | 11 | 8% |
| Mile 205–210 | 10 | 7% |
| Mile 250–255 | 10 | 7% |
| Mile 245–250 | 9 | 6% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 100% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Colorado
- Interstate 25 382
- Interstate 70 313
- US Route 287 177
- US Route 40 176
- US Route 50 169
- US Route 160 136
- Interstate 76 130
- US Route 24 110
- US Route 6 109
- US Route 34 104
- US Route 285 103
- State Route 83 71
All routes and counties in Colorado
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 85 in Colorado?
146 fatal crashes with 171 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 85 had the most fatal crashes?
Weld County (80), Adams County (23), Douglas County (13), Denver County (13) and Arapahoe County (9).
What share of crashes on US Route 85 involved alcohol or speeding?
38.4% had a driver reported as drinking and 27.4% a speeding-related driver, against 34.1% and 35.4% for all fatal crashes in Colorado.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 85?
50.7% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.