DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — As some students head back to class Wednesday morning, Douglas County Sheriff deputies were be out in full force patrolling certain intersections that are known to be trouble spots, especially around school zones.
“People just need to slow down and be mindful of where the school is at, where the school zone signs are, and the flashing lights. If drivers go a mile or two over the speed limit – they may be getting a ticket," said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. "We can't afford to have another tragedy in Douglas County, another youth killed by a driver – so we’re going to be in the school zones as kids go back to school and do a lot of enforcement out there."
From January to June 30th of this year, Douglas County has issued just under 5,400 speeding tickets throughout the county. Here's a breakdown of where these tickets were issued:
- Lincoln Ave – 720 tickets
- Chambers Road - 236 tickets
- Quebec Street - 197 tickets
- Highlands Ranch Pkwy - 530 tickets
- Lucent Boulevard – 9 tickets
“We target these areas that have had high crashes. Lincoln Avenue is our primary crash location because of the amount vehicles that travel every day," said Weekly.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, speed isn't the only problem, deputies see a handful of drivers failing to yield, but the biggest contributing behavior is distracted driving.
Top five dangerous crash intersections for the same time period (January-June 30th) are:
- Lincoln Ave and University Blvd - 25 crashes
- Chambers and Lincoln Ave - 11 crashes
- County Line Rd and Quebec - 10 crashes
- Colorado Blvd and County Line Rd - 7 crashes
- Lincoln Ave and Meridian Village - 7 crashes
“Your ability to not pay attention can result in the death of someone else or yourself and seriously bodily injury. It’s critical that you follow the rules, pay attention, do your due diligence because tragedy can ruin your life as well, so be careful out there and drive safely” said Sheriff Weekly.
Sheriff Weekly said he's added additional deputies to the traffic unit, from 9 to 12, plus an additional sergeant to supervise and target those areas as well. For 2025, Sheriff Weekly plans to ask for additional traffic deputies during the budget meeting.