Click It or Ticket Rural Enforcement Cites 1,716 Drivers

April 14, 2014 - Statewide Traffic Safety - Many rural drivers took their life in their hands and now they are out $65 because they didn’t do something that takes less than two seconds—buckle their seat belt. During the Click It or Ticket rural enforcement period that occurred from March 31 to April 6, law enforcement agencies throughout rural Colorado issued 1,716 citations to drivers who weren’t buckled up.

“Many drivers don’t buckle up when traveling short distances or at slow speeds, but it doesn’t matter the length of your trip—you’re putting your life at risk by not buckling up,” said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “Buckling up is your best defense, whether you’re on a back road or a highway.”

The Click It or Ticket rural enforcement, a partnership between the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and 29 rural law enforcement agencies, combined increased enforcement with an education campaign to encourage seat belt use. The 2014 enforcement period experienced an 11.5 percent increase in citations when compared to 2013. The Colorado State Patrol (957), Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office (87), Frisco Police Department (55) and Avon Police Department (53) issued the most unbuckled citations.

“In 2013, 70 percent of unbuckled fatalities involved a person being ejected from their vehicle. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened in those cases if the people had been wearing their seat belt,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “We would much rather write a citation than see one more preventable injury or fatality.”

The next Click It or Ticket enforcement period will take place statewide from May 12 to 25. Click It or Ticket enforcement focuses on speeding and aggressive drivers, however, drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not wearing a seat belt will be ticketed and fined $65.

In 2012, seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 lives nationwide. An additional 3,031 lives could have been saved if all unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants five and older involved in fatal crashes had been properly restrained. To view seat belt citation data online, visit www.SeatBeltsColorado.com and click on Seat Belt Enforcement Reporting in Quick Links