Most Crashes Hit Close to Home, Click It for Quick Trips

Year after year, Colorado consistently ranks below the rest of the country in seat belt use. In some counties, the rates are far worse, falling well below the statewide average of 86 percent. Sadly, this translates into many preventable deaths on our roadways. In 2017, it’s estimated that 70 lives could have been saved if everyone in Colorado had buckled up. Drivers and passenger can greatly improve their safety by buckling up – no matter how short the trip. While it may be second nature to buckle up on the highway, it’s equally important to buckle up for everyday trips and errands close to home.

In fact, 52 percent of collisions in the United States occur within a 5-mile radius from home, and 69 percent occur within a 10-mile radius of home. (Source: NHTSA)

And since we often shop for groceries, mail packages, and pick up pizza close to where we live, it feels safe and familiar to us. However, that familiarity can breed a false sense of security.

To encourage people to buckle up close to home, CDOT is rolling out (literally) an awareness campaign to remind drivers that even quick trips need a click.

The campaign includes billboards, radio, and social media in March, and culminates with a large outdoor display of a wrecked vehicle crashed into a larger-than-life-sized roll of bathroom tissue. The installation was unveiled on March 18 at the Belmar Shopping Center, on the corner of W. Virginia Avenue and S. Teller Street [Map].

For more information about the Click It for Quick Trips campaign and resources to help spread the word about reducing the number of traffic deaths in Colorado, visit the CDOT website.