‘Every Click Counts’ coalition confronts Pueblo County’s persistent traffic safety issue, seat belts
News Release
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Pueblo — Pueblo County residents face a greater risk of serious injury or death in traffic crashes due to low seat belt use compared to other Coloradans. At a special briefing today, a community coalition of seat belt advocates and its partner, the Colorado Department of Transportation, highlighted on-going efforts to improve seat belt use. Pueblo County has consistently ranked lowest, or near lowest, in Colorado in the annual Colorado Statewide Seat Belt Study. Last year, the study found a seat belt usage rate of 71.6% in Pueblo County, compared to the Colorado average of 90.7% and the national average of 91.2%.
The numbers spurred the formation, and on-going collaboration, of the ‘Every Click Counts’ coalition in fall 2025. The Pueblo coalition is composed of representatives from county, municipal, education, transportation, and business sectors, with support from CDOT. Throughout 2026 the coalition met regularly to coordinate activities and opportunities to promote seat belt use.
“A culture of safety starts locally,” said Southeast Colorado Transportation Director Shane Ferguson. “The ‘Every Click Counts’ coalition has created the foundation for an effort that can make a difference. The fact is, most Pueblo drivers and passengers are buckling up. That’s a positive reality this coalition can continue to amplify and build upon throughout the community.”
In recognition of the coalition’s effort to improve seat belt use, Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham issued a proclamation designating September 9, 2026 as “Pueblo Seat Belt Awareness Day.”
“Buckling up is one of the easiest ways to improve the safety of our residents and it affects all of us,” said Graham. “I am especially proud to recognize the Pueblo Police Department as a strong partner in this coalition and their commitment to working with our community proactively to protect our community.”
“We are setting a new standard for ourselves,” said Eva Cosyleon, MPO Manager at the Pueblo Area Council of Governments and a member of the ‘Every Click Counts’ coalition steering committee. “Pueblo is the biggest small town. When someone in our community is seriously hurt or killed in a crash, it’s felt throughout our community. Buckling up is doing right by our families, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.”
"I was involved in a crash here in Pueblo this past July,” said Dulce Lerma, a high school student and Youth Advisor with Communities That Care, a project of the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment. “We were stopped at a light and were hit from behind by a driver going about 40 mph. We were all buckled up so thankfully everyone was okay. It proved to me how important it is to always have a seat belt on because you can’t control what other drivers will do.”
Thus far in 2026, ‘Every Click Counts’ coalition partners engaged community members with a presence at six community events, and developed resources to bring even more organizations into this on-going effort. CDOT and the coalition also unveiled new public displays that will be installed at various Pueblo locations including CSU Pueblo, Pueblo Zoo, Dutch Clark Stadium, Pueblo County Courthouse, and American Driving Academy to reinforce the importance of seat belt use.
While ‘Every Click Counts’ seeks to increase seat belt use among all ages, encouraging kids and young people to make buckling-up a lifelong habit is a particular focus. According to the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, 17 Pueblo County children (ages 17 and younger) have been killed in traffic crashes since 2020. This makes traffic crashes the leading cause of death, not due to natural causes, for children in Pueblo County.
Overall, of the 12 passenger vehicle fatalities in Pueblo County so far in 2026, eight were not wearing seat belts. Last year, of the 22 passenger vehicle fatalities in Pueblo County, 13 (59%) were not wearing seat belts.
Research shows that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of injury or death in a crash by more than half, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The ‘Every Click Counts’ coalition includes representatives from the following organizations: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Pueblo Area Council of Governments, Pueblo Police Department, CSU Pueblo and the Southern Colorado Institute of Transportation Technology, American Driving Academy, Pueblo School District 60, Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, Pueblo Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado State Patrol, Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce, UCHealth Parkview, Southern Colorado/Southeastern Colorado Regional Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Council (SC/SEC RETAC), and more than a dozen other organizations serving Pueblo County.
Learn more about seat belt safety on the CDOT website.
