Colorado roads are more dangerous than ever for teenage drivers.
A record 86 drivers and passengers between the ages of 15 and 20 years old died in car crashes last year, according to CDOT. That is an alarming 91% increase from 2015, when 45 teen motorists were killed. The death rate has been growing almost annually since 2019.
“CDOT cannot stress enough the importance of life-saving actions young drivers must take,” CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew says in a press release. “We have seen some positive trends with teenage drivers who use good behaviors such as putting phones away, respecting speed limits and wearing a seatbelt. When consistently used, these behaviors help to prevent crashes and fatalities.”
The release continues with stats from Colorado State Patrol, showing the top factors for teen driving crashes in 2025 were:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Lane violations
- Following too close
- Animal collisions
Teenagers are notoriously bad at buckling up. In Colorado 39% of teens who died in a wreck were not wearing a seatbelt. Nationally, teens wear belts less than any other age group.
Colorado hopes to curb these deadly trends with a slate of new laws for young drivers, including 30 hours of mandatory driver education for kids between 15 and 17 years old, and mandatory motorcycle safety training for people younger than 21 years old. These laws take effect in January 2027.
Experts say the first three months after getting a driver’s license are the most critical – and the most dangerous – for new drivers. That is when most teenagers get into wrecks.
CDOT and the DMV remind teen drivers, and especially parents, to be vigilant in the first year after a new driver gets a license. Teens in Colorado cannot drive with someone under the age of 21 for the first six months, and they cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. without an adult for the first year.