The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has released its 2025 Driver Behavior Report, highlighting trends in driver safety across the state. The release comes ahead of CDOT’s annual Traffic Safety Summit, which will be held this week in Breckenridge and is expected to gather over 340 transportation professionals and safety advocates.
“This report gives us a clear picture of where progress has been made, and where challenges remain,” said CDOT’s Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “The Traffic Safety Summit provides an opportunity to turn data into action, and brings together a wide range of partners to shape effective, collaborative strategies for saving lives on Colorado’s roads.”
According to the report, there has been a decline in unsafe driving behaviors for the second consecutive year. In 2025, drivers reported an average of 1.19 unsafe behaviors per person, down from 1.27 in 2024 and 1.35 in 2023. However, more than one-third of drivers still admit to speeding on highways.
CDOT conducted a random-sample survey with responses from nearly all counties in Colorado—61 out of 64—gathering input from 1,695 residents about seat belt use, speeding habits, distracted and impaired driving, motorcycle safety awareness of traffic laws, and young driver attitudes.
Key findings include that ninety percent of drivers say they always wear their seat belts while driving. Thirty-six percent acknowledge driving over the speed limit most or all the time on highways or interstates.
Distracted driving remains an issue but shows signs of improvement: the proportion of drivers making phone calls behind the wheel dropped from 42% last year to 34% this year; those sending messages fell from 30% to 23%. Awareness about Colorado’s ‘hands-free’ law is high at ninety-one percent among respondents; however, those who continue using phones while driving are less likely to know about the regulation.
On impaired driving, twenty-one percent said they had driven within two hours after consuming alcohol, cannabis or impairing prescription drugs during the past month. Few believe it is safe to drive under these influences: only seven percent regarding alcohol and nine percent each for cannabis or prescription medications. Among cannabis users specifically, thirty-three percent admitted to recent post-use driving; thirty-six percent thought they could drive safely under its influence.
Motorcycle safety data shows that seventy-eight percent of riders wear helmets most or all the time when riding; seventy-one percent do not engage in lane filtering.
The study also indicates male drivers and people aged between twenty-five and forty-four are most likely to take risks behind the wheel.
“This research provides valuable insights into the behaviors of Colorado drivers,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “The results reveal areas of progress, ongoing issues and opportunities for education. These findings will help CDOT continue to develop targeted efforts that address risky behaviors and improve the overall safety of our roads.”
