The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies statewide are holding a weeklong Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement effort this week.
The summer enforcement period also marks the launch of CDOT’s latest seat belt safety campaign, Common Bond. The campaign focuses on the fact that, while Coloradans might not agree on everything, everyone should agree on wearing seat belts.
As a state, Colorado’s seat belt use rate currently sits at 88 percent — slightly below the national average of 90 percent.
In 2019, 196 unbuckled drivers and passengers were killed in crashes in the state, accounting for more than half of the 377 total passenger vehicle deaths. The counties that had the most unbuckled deaths in 2019 were Adams (25), Weld (23) and El Paso (15). In 2018, eight of the 216 unrestrained occupant fatalities involved children ages 14 or younger.
“Choosing to wear a seat belt can be a lifesaving decision. Drivers and passengers wearing seat belts are much more likely to survive a crash. It’s an easy choice,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Please remember to buckle up and remind fellow drivers and passengers to do the same.”
