Secondary crashes on rise in Colorado from drivers distracted by first crash

As drivers travel on Colorado highways, there is a high instance that they may witness or come across a crash. Colorado State Patrol is noticing a trend where a second crash happens in the same area as the first crash as drivers are too focused on what is happening there. This is known as a "secondary crash."

Colorado State Patrol Trooper Sherri Mendez tells CBS News Colorado First Alert Traffic Tracker Reporter Brian Sherrod there are three big causes for these crashes. These include:

• Following too close, the cause of 292 crashes
• Inattentiveness and distracted driving, the cause of 195 crashes
• Speeding, the cause of 172 crashes

Colorado State Patrol tells CBS News Colorado the department has handled more than 880 secondary crashes from Jan. 1, 2021 through Nov. 13. Close to 35% of these secondary crashes occurred during poor, active weather conditions such as snow, fog, freezing rain and strong winds. A majority of the crashes took place during clear conditions, with the peak months being November through January.

According to the Colorado State Patrol, the top highways are:

• I-25, 330 crashes
• I-70, 208 crashes
• I-76, 29 crashes
• C470, 26 crashes
• Hwy 24, 20 crashes 

Mendez tells Sherrod drivers need to stay focused on the roads at all times, not their phones. 

"Looking at social media on your phone is a bad idea because you can't see what's going on around you," Mendez said. "Somebody could stop and you will hit them. There is no reason to be checking your Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. You are there to drive. Pay attention and show courtesy to everybody else."   

Troopers say if you see a driver not paying attention or not driving cautiously, you should give them a call at *277. Provide their license plate, make and model of the car, and the direction the driver was traveling.