Aurora traffic enforcement cuts crashes by 86% at crash-prone I-225 and Parker interchanges

AURORA | Aurora Police officials say a targeted traffic enforcement and public education campaign reduced crashes by 86% at one of the city’s most crash-prone locations.

The department’s Special Operations Bureau recently completed a study analyzing two years of crash data and identified the Interstate 225 and South Parker Road interchange — including its on- and off-ramps, loop, nearby traffic lights and stop signs — as Aurora’s busiest location for vehicle crashes.

Police said 14 crashes were reported in the area during a six-week period from April 5 through May 15.

So the department’s Traffic Section launched a high-visibility enforcement and education campaign that included signs urging motorists to drive safely. The department’s Motorcycle Enforcement Team conducted traffic safety operations on June 3 and June 15, focusing on traffic signal violations, speeding and careless driving, which police say are the three leading causes of crashes in the area.

Police said the number of crashes fell from 14 between April 5 and May 15 to just two between May 15 and June 26.

“Our traffic officers’ focused enforcement and high-visibility presence have played a key role in reducing crashes in the I-225 and South Parker Road corridor,” Aurora police Commander Scott Pendleton said in a statement. “These efforts are about more than writing tickets; they’re about changing driver behavior, preventing crashes and keeping the community safe. Given the results we’ve seen and the positive feedback we’ve received from residents, this work will continue.”

Police said officers dedicated about 48 hours to the two enforcement operations, issuing 126 citations. Of those, 102, about four out of five, were for speeding or traffic control device violations.