The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and 29 local law enforcement agencies throughout the state will begin a two-week 'Click It or Ticket' seat belt enforcement period, beginning Monday (Nov. 16).

Click It or Ticket is a nationwide campaign from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Since Click It or Ticket was introduced in Colorado in 2002, statewide seat belt use has increased from 72% to 86%.

According to Chief Matthew Packard of the Colorado State Patrol, the high-visibility enforcement period serves as a reminder to always buckle up on the roads.

"Your State Troopers want every driver and passenger to reduce the risk of serious injury, vehicle ejection, or death in the event of a collision on our Colorado roadways. Every citation issued could be a life saved."

According to the CDOT website, from 2015-2019, Denver County had 60 unbuckled fatalities, accounting for over half of the 108 total passenger vehicle deaths.

Colorado’s seat belt use rate is currently at 86%, which stands below the national average of 90%. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that if 100% of vehicle occupants were seat belts, a projected 70 lives could be saved each year in Colorado.

Colorado's seat belt laws:

  • Adults — Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Drivers can be ticketed for violating the seat belt law if they are stopped for another traffic violation.
  • Teens — Colorado’s Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) law requires all drivers under 18 and their passengers, regardless of 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.
  • Children — Colorado's Child Passenger Safety law is a 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.

The heightened seat belt enforcement campaign will run through Sunday, Nov. 29.

For more information about seat belt safety, visit seatbeltscolorado.com. 

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