July Rural Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement cites 775 drivers

July 26, 2019 - Statewide Traffic Safety

The Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies recently completed a Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement period from July 15 to 21. The enforcement effort focused on the rural areas of Colorado, where seat belt use is the lowest. A preliminary total of 775 drivers were cited during this enforcement period, including 44 drivers who had an improperly restrained child under the age of 15 in the vehicle.

Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement is a crucial component of CDOT’s Whole System — Whole Safety initiative to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Colorado roads.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (180 citations), Dacono Police Department (70 citations) and Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office (46 citations) issued the most citations. In addition, CSP issued 252 citations. A report of all participating agencies can be found at codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-reporting-portal.

“A car crash can happen in the blink of an eye. Not taking that second to buckle up is a choice that could have tragic consequences,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of CSP. “For those who received citations, we hope it will serve as a reminder about how simple it is to buckle up and to never risk the lives of yourself or your passengers.”

In 2018 there were 632 traffic fatalities on Colorado roads, including pedestrian, motorcyclists and occupants of passenger vehicles. Of those there were 220 unbuckled driver and passenger deaths, which accounted for more than half of the 416 total passenger vehicle fatalities in 2018. Colorado ranks in the bottom third for seat belt use in the United States. Colorado’s seat belt use rate is 86 percent, below the national average of 90 percent.

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.
  • Teens — Colorado’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law requires all drivers under 18 and their passengers, regardless of their age, to wear seat belts. This is a 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 a 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.

Learn more about Click It or Ticket enforcement and Colorado’s seat belt laws at codot.gov/safety/seat belts.

REMEMBER: SLOW FOR THE CONE ZONE

The following tips are to help you stay safe while traveling through maintenance and construction work zones.

  • Do not speed in work zones. Obey the posted speed limits.
  • Stay Alert! Expect the unexpected.
  • Watch for workers. Drive with caution.
  • Don't change lanes unnecessarily.
  • Avoid using mobile devices such as phones while driving in work zones.
  • Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you.
  • Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones.
  • Expect delays, especially during peak travel times.
  • Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you.
  • Anticipate lane shifts and merge when directed to do so.
  • Be patient!

 

WHOLE SYSTEM. WHOLE SAFETY.  

To heighten safety awareness, CDOT recently announced its Whole System — Whole Safety initiative. This project takes a systematic statewide approach to safety combining the benefits of CDOT’s programs that address driving behaviors, our built environment and the organization's operations. The goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving the safety of all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission—to get everyone home safely.

 

ABOUT CDOT

CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located at its Denver headquarters and in regional offices throughout Colorado, and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also administers Bustang, the state-owned and operated interregional express service. Governor Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.