Ninety agencies from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement cited 5,505 drivers from May 22 to June 4 during statewide “Click It or Ticket” seat-belt-enforcement campaign. Last year, agencies cited 5,983 drivers.
“The protection provided by wearing a seat belt is crucial to your safety every single time you enter a vehicle,” said Darrell Lingk, CDOT Office of Transportation director.
Among the citations issued, 217 involved an improperly restrained child in the vehicle, a primary law in Colorado that includes children without the appropriate infant car seat, booster seat or seat belt.
Fines for seat-belt-related citations start at $65, and parents or caregivers with an unrestrained child in the vehicle can be charged a minimum of $82 per ticket. Currently, only 84 percent of drivers in Colorado buckle up.
“Vehicle traffic fatalities increase during summer months, so the May mobilization enforcement period is a reminder for people to buckle up,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, chief of Colorado State Patrol. “Our priority is to ensure people are safe on Colorado roads and seat belt use is one of the biggest factors in doing so.”
A Click It or Ticket campaign for rural enforcement will be held from July 17 to 23.
To view results for all 90 agencies involved in the enforcement period, visit http://bit.ly/2rXQZgd.
fstone@durangoherald.com
