Death Toll Down Despite Higher Speeds

Traffic fatalities dropped slightly but speeding tickets increased by 7 percent after the Colorado speed limit went up to 75 mph.

Deaths dropped from 33 last year to 29 this year for June through October - a change that probably doesn’t signal a trend, said Dan Hopkins, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“We think we’re going to need a full year’s data to make a final determination, but the initial reports are encouraging,” he said. “We certainly haven’t seen Armageddon on the freeways.”