Law enforcement officers will work overtime beginning Monday, May 21 to make sure drivers and passengers follow Colorado's seat belt laws, reports the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The Colorado State Patrol and more than 150 police and sheriff's departments in Colorado will join the national Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization aimed at increasing seat belt use and reducing fatalities. Click It or Ticket will continue through Sunday, June 3rd.

According to preliminary data, 381 drivers and passengers died on Colorado highways last year and 231 (61%) were not buckled up. While the overall number of occupant deaths fell 17 percent from 2005, the percentage of those who died in traffic crashes without wearing seat belts rose nearly five percent.

"The state's safety initiatives, including Click It or Ticket, are clearly lowering the number of deaths on our highways each year, but it will become harder and harder to continue decreasing fatalities until more people buckle up," said Russell George, CDOT's Executive Director. "Seat belts have been proven to cut in half the chances of being killed in a crash."

An analysis of 2006 data from CDOT's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), shows men and young people are most at risk of dying unbuckled in a crash. Last year, nearly three-fourths of the unbuckled deaths were men, and nearly half of them were between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. Also, of the 71 teen drivers and passengers ages 15 to 20 who were killed, 68 percent were not wearing seat belts.

"Please Colorado, buckle up yourselves and all of your passengers," said Colonel Mark Trostel, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "It is a sad state of affairs when motorists and their passengers fail to buckle up, as it is a proven fact that regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Slow down, pay attention to your driving, buckle up and we'll all have a safer summer on our highways."

The proportion of unbuckled deaths at night is considerably higher than during the day. Last year in Colorado, 196 drivers and passengers died in traffic crashes killed between 6:00 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. - and 66 percent of them were not wearing seat belts at the time of the fatal crash. That compares to 55 percent of drivers and passengers killed during the daytime crashes who were not buckled up.

The following counties had the highest number of unbuckled drivers and passengers killed in the state: Adams (19), Weld (19), Jefferson (18), Arapahoe (14), Larimer (13), Mesa (13), El Paso (10), Denver (10), Douglas (10), Prowers (8), and Pueblo (7).

In Colorado, seat belt use is highest on the Front Range at 82.7 percent. Seat belt use is 78.3 percent on the Western Slope and 71.2 on the Eastern Plains. The statewide seat belt use rate is 80.3 percent. According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, increasing seat belt use by 7.9 percent would save Colorado $101.9 million, save 31 lives and prevent 393 serious injuries each year.

Colorado's seat belt law for adults requires the driver and front seat passengers to buckle up. The law is a secondary offense, meaning a driver must be stopped for another offense before receiving a ticket for a seat belt violation. The minimum fine is $18. The Click It or Ticket enforcement will target aggressive and speeding drivers, as well as those with unbuckled children in the vehicle.

Colorado's child passenger safety law includes both primary and secondary enforcement. The infant seat, child safety seat and seat belt provisions of the law are primary enforcement, meaning the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or improperly restrained child in the vehicle. The booster seat portion of the law is secondary enforcement. The child passenger safety law clearly defines child safety seat and seat belt use from birth through age 15. The public can find more information about the law and assistance with using child safety seats and seat belts properly by visiting www.carseatscolorado.com or by calling 1-800-LUV TOTS (1-800-588-8387). In the Denver metro area, call 303-239-4625.

Drivers under age 17 are restricted to only one passenger in the front seat and may only have as many passengers in the back seat of the car as there are seat belts. The driver and all passengers must be buckled up and the driver can be stopped and ticketed for violating the law. The minimum fine is $40 and two points against the minor driver's record. (For passenger restrictions for minor drivers and more information on that law, visit www.coteendriver.com)

Ninety-seven Colorado law enforcement agencies will receive a portion of $209,200 in grants to pay for overtime enforcement for the 2007 Click It or Ticket mobilization. In addition, the Click It or Ticket campaign is supported by $10 million in paid national advertising, as well as an additional $200,000 for television and radio commercials running in Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction. The campaign airs in both English and Spanish. Funds for the enforcement and campaign are provided by the U.S. DOT and are required to be used for Click It or Ticket.

During the 2006 Click It or Ticket campaign, participating law enforcement agencies issued 11,016 tickets to seat belt violators. (To view results of last year's campaign, visit www.dot.state.co.us/trafficsafety/. Click on Seat Belt enforcement and choose may Seat Belt Enforcement 2006; then click on View Report.
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Heather Halpape is the manager of CDOT's Public Relations Highway Safety programs.