Mesa County Safety Action Plan
The Mesa County Safety Action Plan identifies solutions to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads across Mesa County
Between 2016 and 2022, 117 people lost their lives on Mesa County roads, and thousands of others were injured. The Mesa County Safety Action Plan looked at local data, peer research, and ultimately was built on a foundation of partnerships between a diverse group of stakeholders who strive to find solutions to make Mesa County roads safer for all users throughout Mesa County, including Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Collbran, and DeBeque. The Mesa County Safety Action Plan project kicked off in November 2023 final plan was published in November 2024.
Mesa County Safety Action Plan
The Plan and Appendices can be found here:
Appendix A: Mesa County Crash Safety Review
Appendix B: Development of The Mesa County High Injury Network
Appendix C: Signalized Intersection and Rural Road Safety Countermeasure Toolbox
Resolutions of Commitment to the Mesa County Safety Action Plan:
GVRTC | Mesa County | Grand Junction | Fruita | Palisade
Information
Funding
In 2023, the Mesa County Regional Transportation Planning Office announced $260,000 in funding from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Mesa County, the City of Grand Junction, City of Fruita, and Town of Palisade committed an additional $65,000 to develop the Safety Action Plan – bringing the project total to $325,000.
What is the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program?
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program provides financial support for planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently slated $5 billion in funding to improve safety on roads throughout the nation over a five-year period under the SS4A grant program.
The project team analyzed seven years of data (2016-2022) and thousands of crashes to identify how, why, where, and when crashes occur in Mesa County. Understanding this crucial data will allow Mesa County to direct resources where they are needed most, and best address the root causes of crashes.
Total Crashes |
Fatal Crashes |
Serious Injury Crashes |
Pedestrian Crashes |
Bicycle Crashes |
Motorcycle Crashes |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average per Year | 2,485 | 17 | 68 | 31 | 36 | 64 |
| 2016-2022 | 17,208 | 117 | 477 | 217 | 249 | 451 |
Fatal/Serious Injury Crashes by Year
From 2016-2022, there were more than 17,000 total crashes in Mesa County with 594 of those resulting in people getting killed or seriously injured. From 2019-2021, fatal crashes stayed relatively the same, while serious injury crashes increased. While there was a decline in the overall total of serious and fatal crashes in 2022, that year saw the most fatal crashes.
All Crashes by Location
12% of all crashes occurred in rural areas, however these crashes constitute 23% of all serious injury crashes and 35% of all fatal crashes.
Explore the Urban Data
Between 2016 and 2022, there were 14,710 total urban crashes with 440 of those being killed or seriously injured crashes. Of the 440 killed or seriously injured crashes, 76 of those crashes resulted in a fatality. There were also 212 urban pedestrian crashes, 308 urban bicyclists crashes, 354 urban motorcycle crashes. pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists all have a significantly higher killed or seriously injured rate than other crashes.
Crash Locations
- 60% of urban crashes were intersection related. About half, 56% of these crashes were at un-signalized intersections.
Contributing Factors
- Impairment is a factor in 23% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes.
- Speeding is a factor in 22% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes. Aggressive driving is the most common contributing factor.
- Vulnerable road users (such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists) are involved in 16% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes.
- 31% of urban crashes involved drivers under the age of 25.
Explore the Rural Data
Between 2016 and 2022, there were 2,049 total crashes in rural Mesa County with 147 of those being crashes where people were killed or seriously injured. Of the crashes where people were killed or seriously injured, 41 of those crashes (almost 28%) resulted in a fatality. There were also 5 rural pedestrian crashes, 4 rural bicyclists crashes, 84 rural motorcycle crashes.
Crash Locations
- 85% of rural crashes were non-intersection crashes. The majority, 73% occurred on state highways.
Contributing Factors
- Impairment is a factor in 22% of rural fatal and serious injury crashes.
- Speeding is a factor in 44% of rural fatal and serious injury crashes. Aggressive driving is the most common contributing factor.
- Overturning accounts for 33% of rural fatal and serious injury crashes.
- Wild animals contribute to 12% of urban fatal and serious injury crashes (that do not include a vehicle-to-vehicle collision).
- 61% of rural crashes involved male drivers.
1,610 Community Participants
665+ Survey Responses and Comments
There were two public engagement touchpoints during the development of the Plan. The feedback that was received played a critical role in creating the plan and shaping future decisions to create safer roads in Mesa County.
Valued Public Input: Phase 1
The first public engagement touchpoint for this project took place in the Spring of 2024. A self-guided online meeting was open from March 13 to April 28, 2024, and included an interactive comment map and survey. In addition, Mesa County attended community events with a comment map and directed visitors to the online meeting. Between the online meeting and events there were a total of 1,160 participants
The overarching goals of Phase 1 engagement were to have the community:
Learn about:
- The purpose of the plan, including funding and schedule.
- Community safety concerns, including existing conditions and crash trends
- Next steps and how to stay involved.
Provide feedback on:
- Areas where they have safety concerns.
- Goals of the plan.
- Safety areas to prioritize.
Valued Public Input: Phase 2
The second public engagement touchpoint for the Mesa County Action Plan provided an update on the plan and gathered feedback on the strategies and prioritization. A self-guided online meeting was held between August 12 and September 8. In addition, Mesa County participated in seven existing community between August 6 and September 5, as well as hosted the Western Colorado Transportation Safety Symposium on August 28. Between the engagement efforts, there was a total of approximately 450 participants.
The overarching goals of Phase 2 engagement were to have the community:
Learn about:
- What we heard from the community.
- Next steps and how to stay involved.
Participate by:
- Ranking safety categories.
- Agreeing or disagreeing with safety solutions and strategies
- Pledging to be a safe driver.
Fatal and Serious Injury Locations
Below is a map of locations throughout urban Mesa County that have a high amount of people getting killed or seriously injured in crashes – the high injury network (HIN). The HIN identifies a series of intersections and streets that have the highest amount of people that have been killed and severely injured (KSI) in motor vehicle crashes.
The 2024 Mesa County High Injury Network used a 7-year historical data set (2016-2022) from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) statewide crash database and a third-party vendor contracted to geocode crashes with missing coordinates. A total of 592 crashes that resulted in serious injury or death (KSI) were identified within Mesa County, 548 of which were reported within the urban area. Of the 592 KSI crashes in Mesa County, 458 were located in the urban area. Of the 458 urban KSI crashes, 178 (38.9%) were considered for the intersection evaluation, 247 (53.9%) were considered in the segment evaluation, and 33 (7.2%) were not considered due to being located on local roadways.