CDOT and Banner Health ask those ‘on the fence’ to buckle up

Weld County — Buckle up, Weld County! The Colorado Department of Transportation and Banner Health shared a seat belt reminder using a massive fence message at University Schools in Greeley. The University Schools fence sits along 65th Avenue, a busy road in Weld County, reaching the public and the students who drive past it every day.

“Wearing a seat belt is a decision we want every Coloradan to make, every trip, every time,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “The safety of you and your loved ones is important, and the best way to keep them safe is by buckling up. Injuries are preventable in a crash — it starts with buckling up, always.”

Weld County, where seat belt usage has remained among the lowest in the state for numerous years, showed an encouraging increase from 71% to 80% in CDOT’s most recent seat belt survey. However, it still remains as one of the lowest five counties in the state — well below the Colorado (87%) and national (92%) averages. Of the 479 passenger vehicle deaths in Colorado last year, 42 took place in Weld County.

“Colorado’s seat belt use increased this year but only marginally better than the previous report and still lower than the national average,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “It's important to remember that most crash deaths occur within 25 miles of home. This emphasizes that everyday driving from just one neighbor's home to another, to school or to the corner store can pose the greatest danger. Buckle up for every trip no matter the distance.”

There were 236 unbuckled fatalities on Colorado roads in 2022. In Weld County, 22 of the 42 fatalities involved an unrestrained driver or passenger. CDOT and Banner Health hope the display serves as a reminder that the best precaution you can take behind the wheel is wearing your seat belt.

“Injury prevention is our number one goal, and it starts with encouraging our community to protect themselves,” said Marilyn Johnson, the trauma outreach education and injury prevention coordinator for Banner Health. “We love Weld County and hope to make it a safer place by encouraging students and community members alike to always buckle up.”

With graduation and summer break on the horizon, CDOT and Banner Health aim to continue building on Weld County’s seat belt improvements.

Banner Health not only treats injuries — they are committed to helping Coloradans prevent them. The Injury Prevention Programs offered at Banner cover a wide variety of transportation related topics, including car seat and pedestrian safety. Their North Colorado Medical Center’s Level 2 trauma center sees many crash victims and have cited a growing concern over the number of unrestrained victims in these crashes.

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 Drivers 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.

About Click It Or Ticket

Click It or Ticket is a nationwide campaign from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since Click It or Ticket was introduced in Colorado in 2002, statewide seat belt use has increased from 72% to 87%. For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit SeatBeltsColorado.com.