Click It or Ticket kicks off first enforcement period of the year

Traffic Safety Pulse News

203 unbuckled vehicle deaths in Colorado last year

Starting Monday, May 24, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies throughout the state will begin a two-week Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement period. The enforcement period will run through Sunday, June 6.

In 2020, 365 occupants in passenger vehicles were killed in crashes on Colorado roads. Of those, 203 fatalities (55.6%) involved unbuckled drivers or passengers. This is an increase from the reported 189 unbuckled fatalities statewide in 2019. The Click It or Ticket enforcement aims to decrease these numbers by reminding Colorado drivers that buckling up saves lives.

El Paso (25), Weld (23) and Arapahoe (20) counties had the highest unbuckled fatalities totals in 2020, accounting for 33% of the 203 total passenger vehicle deaths in the county last year. El Paso County had the highest increase from 2019 to 2020 at nearly 67%.

Statewide, Colorado’s seatbelt use is 4% lower than the national average of 90%. CDOT’s Whole System — Whole Safety initiative focuses on reducing deaths and injuries on Colorado roadways, and the Click It or Ticket campaign plays a large role in that. Seat belts reduce the risk of injury or death in a crash by 50%, and when all Coloradoans do their part, our roads are a safer place.

We're All Behind Seat Belts