As an emergency medicine doctor, I’ve seen my fair share of life-threatening cases. Some of the most tragic involve wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) — accidents that can leave drivers and passengers seriously injured or worse, while also taking the lives of thousands of animals each year. These incidents, like so many others in emergency medicine, are preventable. I also see an alarming number of injuries and fatalities from vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. In 2023, Colorado recorded 20 cyclist deaths — an increase of 33% from the previous year. Meanwhile, 120 pedestrians lost their lives in deadly crashes in 2024. This is personal for me — my husband commutes by bike, and I know firsthand the anxiety of wondering if he’ll make it home safely. In emergency medicine, we have an axiom there is no such thing as a minor accident between a pedestrian and an automobile. Because of their weight, vehicles have so much momentum that serious injuries regularly occur even at very low speeds.

Thankfully, just this week, state Reps. Andy Boesenecker and Meghan Lukens, and Sens. Faith Winter and Dylan Roberts introduced the Funding for Motor Vehicle Collision Prevention, which, if passed into law, will reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in addition to crashes with vulnerable road users like bicyclists and pedestrians.

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WVCs are a reality for all Coloradans, myself included. Some of the worst cases of my career have been collisions with moose or elk, resulting in broken families. In 2022, more than 7,000 animals were hit and killed on Colorado’s roads, some causing injuries to drivers and passengers. The economic burden is also staggering: according to the Colorado Wildlife and Transportation Alliance, these accidents cost the state $66.3 million annually in medical expenses alone.

I spend a lot of time on the road, including long hours driving to work shifts on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Though I’ve been fortunate never to have hit an animal, the roadsides I pass are often littered with roadkill — reminders of just how common these collisions are.

The good news is Colorado’s leaders recognize this as a serious issue. And this year, state lawmakers have an opportunity to change that by establishing permanent funding through the enterprise for these critical infrastructure projects.

The benefits of wildlife crossings are well-documented. Consider Colorado’s first major wildlife crossing project on State Highway 9, built between Kremmling and Green Mountain Reservoir. The results were remarkable: a 92% reduction in crashes involving wildlife reported to law enforcement and a 90% reduction in roadkill. These crossings don’t just make roads safer — they also help preserve Colorado’s natural areas, improve traffic flow, and make communities more attractive to residents, businesses and tourists.

Public support for these measures is overwhelming. According to the 2024 Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll, 87% of Colorado voters support constructing wildlife crossings on major highways that intersect with known migration routes.

Our state legislature has the opportunity to do more for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, animals and our Colorado way-of-life. By passing the Funding for Motor Vehicle Collision Prevention bill, lawmakers can help alleviate traffic congestion, lower insurance prices, protect vulnerable road users, and ensure that wildlife can safely migrate across our natural areas. Investing in these life-saving infrastructure projects isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do. By dedicating state funding and securing matching federal grants, we can build safer roads for drivers, bikers, pedestrians and wildlife alike.

Colorado lawmakers have a choice: they can take decisive action to protect lives and preserve our state’s natural heritage, or they can allow these preventable tragedies to continue. The time to act is now.

Dr. Karen Ekernas, MD, MPH is an emergency physician in Denver. She was selected by peers as a 5280 Magazine Denver Top Doctor in 2019 and 2024.