CDOT, Summit County Partners Team Up for Rural Enforcement
Traffic Safety Pulse News
Last year, 215 unbuckled drivers and passengers were killed in crashes in Colorado, accounting for more than half of the state’s 410 total passenger vehicle deaths. With a seat belt use rate of 86 percent, Colorado ranks below the national average of 90 percent. In 2018, five of the six counties with the lowest seat belt use in Colorado were rural, according to a CDOT study.
To address low seat belt usage in rural areas of Colorado, CDOT, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies activated a weeklong Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement in rural counties across the state between March 25-31. The enforcement cited 1,445 unbuckled drivers and passengers between March 25-31. Of these, 66 were drivers cited for not ensuring children under the age of 15 were buckled in their vehicle. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (221 citations), Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (168 citations), and Alamosa Police Department (51 citations) recorded the most citations. CSP issued 558 citations. Comprehensive results from all participating agencies can be found at codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-reporting-portal.
CDOT and CSP also partnered with St. Anthony Summit Medical Center and Summit County Public Health for a media event to raise awareness about seat belt safety in Summit County. Representatives from the Red, White and Blue Fire Department, the Breckenridge Police Department and other Summit County Public Health agencies attended to show their support for the effort. The event featured a large banner for attendees to write their personal reasons for buckling up. In 2018, Summit County’s seat belt use rate increased to 87 percent - a 3 percent increase from the previous year. The county now ranks in the top third in the state for seat belt use and is a model for other rural counties.
To view creative materials and visuals from the event, click here. To view media coverage of the event, click the links below:
