Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Background: Roadway safety remains a critical public health challenge across Colorado, where factors such as population density and roadway type vary significantly in different regions of the state. Effective prevention strategies rely on the timely identification of high-risk locations and a nuanced understanding of contributing factors to motor vehicle crashes. Existing tools for crash data analysis are currently aggregated to the county level, but there is limited information available statewide about the factors of individual crashes. The purpose of this presentation will be to describe the development of a new Crash Map Dashboard, and provide a demonstration of the map.

Methods: The Crash Map Dashboard was developed to address input of stakeholders from local public health agencies, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), and injury and built environment specialists at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Geocoded crash data collected by the Department of Revenue and managed by CDOT were obtained for 2024. The data were cleaned and locations were validated against a street network database to map precise locations of crashes. The maps were integrated into an online interactive ArcGIS Dashboard.

Results: Preliminary results from beta testing indicate that the Crash Map Dashboard can provide key insights into contributing factors for individual crashes. Crash-level data are now accessible for all 64 counties in Colorado. Some of the functionality requested by partners that has been incorporated into the dashboard include selection tools for identifying crashes that occur near schools and symbology for differentiating crashes that involve vulnerable road users.

Implications: The Crash Map Dashboard offers an accessible and user-friendly tool that allows public health professionals to access data that can be incorporated into injury prevention programs. The next phase of the project seeks to provide additional levels of analysis and years of data to improve upon the dashboard.