Click it for coffee: CDOT to reward rural drivers for buckling up

To encourage drivers in rural communities to buckle up, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies will conduct the annual Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign in rural counties beginning Monday, March 23 and running through Sunday, March 29. Law enforcement issued 1,445 citations in rural communities during last year’s spring enforcement

Fines for not wearing a seat belt start at $65, and parents and caregivers found with an improperly restrained or unrestrained child can receive a minimum fine of $82. 

Colorado’s seat belt use rate is 88%, well below the national average of 90%. Last year, 196 unbuckled drivers and passengers were killed in crashes in the state, accounting for more than half of the 377 total passenger vehicle deaths. In 2017, an estimated 70 lives could have been saved if everyone in Colorado had buckled up. 

Crash victims in rural communities are especially vulnerable since they are often hours from the closest trauma center. It is essential that crash victims receive care as soon as possible in order to increase their chances of survival. Wearing a seat belt is one of the most effective ways to prevent traumatic injury or death in a crash.

CDOT will be hosting “Click it for Coffee” in Weld County during the enforcement period. Preliminary reports show Weld County having an 81% seat belt usage rate with 23 unrestrained fatalities. This event will partner with local businesses and traffic safety partners to educate motorists about low seat belt usage in their community.