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Click It or Ticket


Submitted by
Heather Halpape
CDOT CSP PIO

Don’t Be Fooled By Darkness. Nighttime Click It or Ticket Begins April 1st

Law enforcement in 11 counties buckle down on those not buckled up.

DENVER — The Colorado State Patrol and 48 law enforcement agencies are not fooling this week when they step up enforcement of the state’s seat belt laws – especially at night. The special nighttime Click It or Ticket mobilization begins at 6 p.m. on April 1st and runs through 6 a.m. on April 7th. Law enforcement agencies in the following 11 counties are participating in the overtime enforcement: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Pueblo and Weld.

The risk of being involved in a fatal crash is significantly greater at night than during the day, due in part to fewer people buckling up at night. Last year in Colorado, 148 drivers and passengers were killed in crashes between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. Of that number, 66% were not wearing seat belts, compared to 47% of victims not buckled up during the day.

“When the sun goes down, the risk to drivers and passengers goes way up, especially for those who don’t wear their seat belts,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “That’s why we’re increasing traffic enforcement at night, and we will not accept excuses for not buckling up. Our goal is to save lives, and we know seat belts do just that – day or night.”

Most of the people killed in crashes in Colorado at night are young men. Males made up 67% of the unrestrained fatalities last year. Young men, ages 15 to 34, represented nearly half of unbuckled victims overall and 66% of unbuckled victims at night.

There is also a strong connection between alcohol-related fatal crashes and the lack of seat belt use. Last year, 75% of the alcohol-related fatalities at night involved drivers and passengers who were not buckled up.

“It is extremely important to wear seat belts, especially at night, due to the high-number of alcohol-related crashes after dark,” said Michael Nugent, manager of CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety. “Seat belts double your chance of surviving a crash and are the best defense against a drunk driver.”

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. Click It or Ticket enforcement focuses on speeding and aggressive drivers. Drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not using a seat belt will be ticketed.

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

The Colorado State Patrol and the following agencies are receiving federal grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct the nighttime Click It or Ticket mobilization:

Adams County: Thornton PD, Commerce City PD, Adams County SO, Northglenn PD, Brighton PD, Westminster PD

Arapahoe County: Arapahoe County SO, Sheridan PD, Aurora PD, Columbine Valley PD, Greenwood Village PD

Boulder County: Boulder PD, Longmont PD, Lafayette PD, Boulder County SO

Denver County: Denver PD, Auraria Campus PD

Douglas County: Castle Rock PD, Parker PD, Douglas County SO

El Paso County: Manitou Springs PD, Colorado Springs PD, Monument PD

Jefferson County: Edgewater PD, Jefferson County SO, Golden PD, Lakewood PD, Arvada PD, Wheat Ridge PD, Lakeside PD

Larimer County: Larimer County SO, Fort Collins PD, Estes Park PD

Mesa County: Grand Junction PD, Mesa County SO, Fruita PD

Pueblo County: Pueblo County SO, Pueblo PD

Weld County: Weld SO, Ault PD, Frederick PD, Fort Lupton PD, Greeley PD, Gilcrest PD, Platteville PD, Evans PD, Dacono PD, Firestone PD

Following the enforcement period, agencies will report their seat belt citation data online. You can view this by visiting www.SeatBeltsColorado.com. Then click on Seat Belt Enforcement Reporting on the Quick Links

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