As a member of the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Major Crash Team, the unit that investigates the city’s most serious collisions, Sgt. Eric Anderson knows more than he’d like to about the devastating physical impact of a motorcycle crash.

“We’re usually talking about a 3,000- or 4,000-lb. vehicle, versus an 800- or 900 lb. motorcycle,” said Anderson, who is in his 28th year with CSPD. “The motorcyclist is going to lose, and the human body is just not equipped to withstand that kind of impact.”

Sam Cole, a member of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s safety management team, agreed with Anderson’s analysis.

“The bike provides no crash protection,” said Cole, who noted that motorcyclists account for roughly 20% of vehicular deaths despite comprising only 3% of the vehicles on Colorado roadways.

“The only protection they have is their gear and their helmet — if they’re wearing one. We’re seeing far too many motorcyclists killed on our roadways.”

Despite social media safety campaigns, speed enforcement, and highway billboard signs advising defensive riding, Colorado typically sees well over 100 motorcycle deaths per year, according to CDOT data. To date, there have been 129 motorcycle fatalities in 2024, compared with 118 at this time last year, the transportation agency said.

Motorcycle deaths are up in El Paso County as well. So far this year, the county has had 20 such fatalities, up about 30% from the 14 motorcycle deaths at this time in 2023. (El Paso County is first statewide in fatal motorcycle crashes; Arapahoe County is second, with 15.)

Speed and impairment — alcohol or otherwise — are the most prevalent determining factors in deadly crashes, according to CSPD and CDOT. Statewide, speed was the primary determinant in about 30 fatalities; 31 involved alcohol or other impairment, CDOT data show.

“In many ways, we have normalized speed on motorcycles, and we have to figure out a way to tamp that down,” Cole said.

“It’s normal, and understandable, to want to let loose and have some fun. But our roads are not for opening up your motorcycle to see what it can do. If you want to do that, take it to the track.”

Motorcyclists tend to be at fault more often than not, according to CDOT data. Of the 129 fatalities in 2024, 96 riders were determined to be at fault. Of those, 57 have been single-vehicle crashes, Cole said.

“But I don’t want to let other drivers off the hook,” he said. “They also need to use more caution than they currently do.”

“That doesn’t mean the motorcyclist is automatically at fault,” Anderson concurred. “We’ve seen crashes where, as far as we can tell, the motorcyclist did everything right and unfortunately they are still the victim.”

Crashes between motorcycles and other vehicles often take place at an intersection, when a vehicle makes a left turn and collides with a bike, Cole said.

“Look for motorcycles when you’re turning at intersections,” he cautioned. “We see a lot of crashes where drivers make a left turn, and they cross the path of a motorcyclist that they just didn’t see.”

A 2022 study, commissioned by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, supports Cole’s statement. Titled “Left-turn crashes and motorcycle safety,” the study concluded that between 2017 and 2021, 26% of fatal two-vehicle motorcycle crashes occurred when a vehicle turned left in front of an oncoming motorcycle.

Motorcyclists and drivers of larger vehicles each bear some of the responsibility for avoiding such crashes, Anderson said.

“We know that motorcyclists are difficult to see on occasion, because they’re smaller,” he said.

“So drivers need to keep their eyes open as they make these turns. And riders need to ride defensively. When they are coming through these intersections, they need to be aware that they may not be seen.”

In many cases, the use of a helmet may have saved the crash victim, Cole said. But at least 66 of this year’s motorcycle fatalities were wearing helmets, compared with 58 who were not. (Evidence was inconclusive in the remaining five deaths.)

Another contributing factor may be a lack of understanding of the state’s new “lane filtering “ law, officials said.

Enacted in August, the legislation allows riders to cut in between stopped vehicles on the roadway, provided that the vehicles ahead have come to a complete stop and the rider is not going faster than 15 mph.

The practice is not to be confused with “lane splitting,” which allows motorcyclists to ride between traffic lanes that are moving in the same direction — a practice also known as “white lining” or “stripe riding.” Lane splitting remains illegal in Colorado.

“There’s a lot of confusion out there,” Cole said. We have to continue to talk about it and educate motorcyclists about it. We also need to educate other drivers to be more aware, because motorcycles can be hard to see.”

Colorado Springs police, CDOT and the Colorado State Patrol are using roadside enforcement and information campaigns to try to reduce motorcycle deaths. But drivers and riders must share that responsibility, officials said.

“We can enforce the law, and we can advise people to drive safely, but we can’t be in the car, or on the motorcycle,” said Colorado Springs police spokeswoman Caitlin Ford. “We all have to do our part.”

In October, as the weather typically cools and Coloradans begin to brace for the “first freeze,” motorcycle deaths usually decrease as motorcycle activity slows down, Anderson said. But the Pikes Peak region has been in the midst of an unseasonably warm October, and motorcycle riders are taking advantage of temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s.

With this in mind, Anderson advises all motorists — whether on two, four, or 18 wheels — to be vigilant and aware on Colorado roadways.

“I believe we can significantly reduce the number of fatal crashes, but it takes everybody,” the Major Crash Team sergeant said.

“Everybody on the road needs to be aware of everyone else on the road. We need to remember that we all share the road. We all need to get from Point A to Point B safely. In order to do that, we all have to drive with caution.”