2,761 Caught Not Buckled Up at Night
Submitted by Heather Halpape, CDOT
9484 or 303-888-6319 (cell)
CSP PIO, 303-239-4583
The Colorado State Patrol and 40 law enforcement agencies wrote 2,761 seat belt tickets during a week-long, nighttime Click It or Ticket enforcement that occurred April 1-7 in 11 counties. The special overtime traffic enforcement took place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in an effort to get more Coloradans to buckle up at night and save lives. Last year, over half of those killed at night in the state were not buckled up.
“The darkness won’t protect you from getting killed or injured in a crash, but a seat belt certainly can,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “It doesn’t matter if you’re driving during the day or at night, wearing a seat belt doubles your chance of surviving a crash. We will continue to enforce the state’s seat belt laws in an effort to save more lives on Colorado roadways.”
The majority of seat belt tickets were issued to adults, however 190 tickets were written for unrestrained children under age 16, and 281 tickets were for young people, age 16 to 20.
Law enforcement agencies in the following counties took part in the Click It or Ticket nighttime campaign: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Pueblo and Weld. The following agencies wrote the most seat belt tickets:
Denver PD (255)
Lakewood PD (214)
CSP Troop 3A Greeley (178)
CSP Troop 4A Fruita (152)
CSP Troop 3C Fort Collins (139)
CSP Troop 2B Colorado Springs (126)
Colorado Springs PD (111)
Arapahoe County SO (100)
CSP Troop 1D Adams County (102)
Longmont PD (84)
Northglenn PD (84)
CSP Troop 2D Pueblo (83)
Commerce City PD (73)
Douglas County SO (73)
Pueblo County SO (64)
Fort Collins PD (57)
Greeley PD (56)
Larimer County SO (54)
CSP Troop 6C Broomfield (54)
Grand Junction PD (51)
To view detailed seat belt citation data for each law enforcement agency, visit www.dot.state.co.us/TrafficSafety/. Click on Seat Belt Enforcement, select Seat Belt Enforcement 2009 Nighttime and click View Report.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Adds to the Tickets Written for Click It or Ticket
Submitted by Deputy Cocha Heyden
Public Information Officer
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
303-660-7586, pgr 303-826-7822
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office concluded their seven day Click It or Ticket campaign issuing 73 of the 2,761 seat belt tickets written during that time period. The special overtime traffic enforcement took place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., April 1-7, in an effort to get more Coloradans to buckle up at night and save lives. Last year, over half of those killed at night in the state were not buckled up.
The 73 tickets issued in Douglas County were broken down as:
62 violations cited and 5 warnings to adults 21 and older
8 violations cited and 2 warnings to teens 16-20
3 violations cited to drivers of juveniles 6-15, not wearing seat belts
“Putting a seat belt on when you get into a car is simple and easy way to increase your chances of surviving a car crash. Parents must set a good example for their kids by always buckling up themselves. Don’t start that engine until everyone is belted in”, stated Sheriff Weaver.
