8,105 Colorado Drivers Get Costly Reminder to Buckle Up

The effort was part of the national mobilization aimed at saving lives by convincing more people to buckle up.  During the two-week enforcement period, 11 drivers and passengers died in crashes in the state, and nine of them were not wearing seat belts.

“Writing tickets for not buckling up is something we don’t like to do, but we know it’s necessary to remind some people that it’s a law that could save their life,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Seat belts are the best defense from a drunk driver, a distracted driver or simply your own driving error.  Take two seconds each time you get into your vehicle, and please make sure all children are properly restrained in the appropriate child safety seat.”

Out of the 8,105 citations, 519 were for unrestrained children, 397 for teens and 7,189 for unbuckled adults. The minimum fine for not wearing a seat belt in Colorado is $65.  A citation for unrestrained children is $82 per violation.

Seat belt tickets were not the only result of the Click It or Ticket enforcement. Agencies also report 41 fugitive arrests, 42 drug arrests and 139 DUI arrests.

Since Click It or Ticket started in 2002, seat belt use in Colorado has increased from 72% to 82.9%. There has also been a 56% decline in unrestrained deaths—380 in 2002 and 166 in 2010.

For information about seat belt laws and the number of seat belt citations per agency, visit www.seatbeltscolorado.com.