CDOT Reveals Mystery Behind New Billboards

STATEWIDE — Last week, Coloradans may have noticed billboards in Denver and Colorado Springs with ambiguous language, such as “Windshield Ejection,” “Brain Damage,” “Life or Death” and “Fatal Accident.” The billboards sparked conversations on social media, with the photos reaching more than 220,000 people and receiving 10,000 post interactions. This week, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) revealed the mystery behind the billboards, updating them with images of seat belts to cross out the negative outcome of vehicle crashes, such as “Ejection,” “Damage,” “Death” and “Fatal.” The billboards serve as a reminder that by simply buckling up, drivers and passengers can prevent the worst from happening in a crash.

The creative campaign launch coincides with the statewide Click It or TicketMay Mobilization enforcement period that runs from Monday, May 11, through Sunday, May 31. In addition to the 15 billboards along the Front Range, CDOT has launched a radio campaign statewide and included seat belt safety messages on gas pumps at 60 gas stations.

"You’re 30 times more likely to be ejected in a crash if you’re not wearing a seat belt,” said Sam Cole, Communications Manager at CDOT. “Buckling up is the most effective way to protect yourself in a crash, but many people don’t take the few seconds to do it. To remind people to wear a seat belt, CDOT is developing unique and innovative tactics that grab attention and reignite the seat belt conversation.”

Last year, 156 people in Colorado that lost their lives in crashes weren't wearing a seat belt. Those lives account for more than half of the 308 passenger vehicle fatalities that occurred on Colorado roadways in 2014. Motor vehicle traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for Coloradans, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they cost the state more than $623 million each year in medical expenses and work loss costs.

Colorado’s Seat Belt Laws

• Adults – Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Drivers can be ticketed for violating the seat belt law if they are stopped for another traffic violation. Click It or Ticket enforcement focuses on speeding and aggressive drivers. Drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not using a seat belt will be ticketed. The minimum fine is $65.
• Teens – Colorado’s Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) law requires all drivers under 18 and their passengers, no matter what their age, to wear seat belts. This is primary enforcement, meaning teens can be pulled over simply for not wearing a seat belt or having passengers without seat belts.
• Children – Colorado's child passenger safety law is primary enforcement, meaning the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or improperly restrained child under age 16 in the vehicle.

Billboard Locations

Denver

o    I-70 east of Wadsworth Blvd.

o    S. Santa Fe & Florida

o    Leetsdale Dr. & Holly St.

o    Colorado Blvd. & Mississippi Ave.

o    Broadway south of Evans Ave

o    6th Ave via Osage & I-25

o    Federal & 1^st St. (Spanish)

o    I-76 & 88^th Ave. (Spanish)

o    Federal & Hwy 36 (Spanish)

o    Peoria & I-70 (Spanish)

o    Nevada & Polk St.

o    Powers Blvd. & Platte

o    I-25 & Circle

o    I-25 & Monument