Cities and towns across Colorado on "accident alert:" Police will only respond to certain crashes

Cities and towns around Colorado are on "accident alert" amid the first major snowstorm of the season in the Denver metro area.

What does this mean? Police will only respond to certain accidents due to the high number of crashes. Colorado State Patrol says accident alert refers to times when "weather conditions are so severe that State Troopers and Police Officers are unable to respond to the large volume of motor vehicle crashes."

So what sorts of crashes will police respond to when those departments are on accident alert? Generally speaking, they'll only respond to the following types of crashes:

• Vehicles are disabled due to damage.
• An accident involves a fatality or an injury requiring medical attention.
• Alcohol or drugs are involved.
• An accident is an alleged hit-and-run.
• There is damage to public property other than wildlife, like a highway guardrail.

If you're involved in a crash and unsure if you're in an area on accident alert, you can call the police. They'll tell you if the crash you were in requires a police response.

If police can't or won't respond to the crash you were in, exchange information with the other driver and file an accident report online with Colorado State Patrol or the local police department or sheriff's office as soon as possible.

Communities on accident alert as of 11 a.m. include Denver, Broomfield, Douglas County, Erie, Fort Collins, and Thornton.