Seat Belt Enforcement to Target Rural Counties

According to a recent CDOT survey, seat belt usage in Colorado increased by 2.5 percent in 2018 after three years of decline.  Slightly more Coloradans are using seat belts, but the state still lags behind the national rate of 90 percent. Colorado ranks 40th in the country in seat belt use, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Five of the six Colorado counties with the lowest use rates are all rural — Cheyenne (65 percent), Delta (75 percent), La Plata (76 percent), Montezuma and Chaffee (77 percent). To encourage drivers in rural communities to buckle up, CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies will conduct a Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign in rural counties from March 25-31. Law enforcement issued 1,279 citations in rural communities during last year’s spring enforcement.