9,327 Colorado Drivers Get Life-Saving Reminder to Buckle Up

June 11, 2013 - Traffic Safety - STATEWIDE – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced today that the Colorado State Patrol and law enforcement agencies across the state issued 9,327 seat belt citations to drivers during the Click It or Ticket campaign, which lasted from May 20 to June 2.

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, 13 drivers and passengers died in crashes in the state, and eight of them were not wearing seat belts, according to preliminary information from the Colorado Department of Transportation. The minimum fine for not wearing a seat belt in Colorado is $65.  A citation for unrestrained children is $82 per violation.

“We continue to educate the public on the importance of buckling up,” said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “This year, we focused our public awareness campaign on males, as they typically have a lower seat belt usage rate. And expectedly, of the eight unrestrained fatalities, seven were males.”

“Seat belts are the single most effective thing you can do to prevent serious injury or death from a crash,” said Colonel Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “It takes just two seconds to protect yourself and your loved ones by requiring that everyone in your vehicle buckle up. Most importantly, be responsible and make sure all children are properly restrained in the appropriate child safety seat.”

The agencies and troops that issued the highest number of seat belt citations included:

Aurora Police Department (1,363)

Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (553)

Lakewood Police Department (511)

Adams County Sheriff’s Office (472)

CSP Troop 4C Glenwood Springs (399)

CSP Troop 4A Fruita (398)

Loveland Police Department (322)

Seat belt tickets were not the only result of the Click It or Ticket enforcement. Agencies also report 67 fugitive arrests, 33 drug arrests and 106 DUI arrests, as well as citations for 635 drivers with a suspended license or no driver’s license.

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