Last year, 156 people in Colorado who died in vehicle crashes weren't wearing a seat belt. That's more than half of the 308 passenger vehicle fatalities that occurred on Colorado roadways in 2014.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies are mobilizing a statewide Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement period, running through Sunday, May 31. The heightened seat belt campaign coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's nationwide May Mobilization enforcement period.
Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Click It or Ticket enforcement focuses on speeding and aggressive drivers. Drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not using a seat belt will be ticketed. The minimum fine is $65.
Colorado's Graduated Drivers Licensing law requires all drivers under 18 and their passengers, no matter what 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.
Colorado's child passenger safety law also is 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.
"Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer travel, so with more people hitting the roadways; this is the perfect time to reinforce the importance of always wearing a seat belt, no matter how far you're traveling," said Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "The fact is, seat belts save lives, and officers will ticket you if you are stopped while not wearing your seat belt."
During the 2014 Click It or Ticket May Mobilization enforcement period, 8,044 Colorado motorists were cited for driving without a seat belt, a decrease from the 9,355 citations handed out in 2013. CDOT hopes the downward trend continues as more Coloradans buckle up.
Studies show that seat belts reduce serious injuries and deaths in crashes by about 50 percent. States with primary seat belt laws have seat belt use rates that are 13 to 16 percent higher than states like Colorado with secondary laws. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes cost Colorado more than $623 million each year in medical expenses and work loss costs.
For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit www.SeatBeltsColorado.com.
