The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and law enforcement agencies throughout the state recently concluded a “Click It Or Ticket” campaign. From May 11th through May 31st, Colorado law enforcement cited 6,942 motorists for failing to wear a seatbelt. What made this campaign unique was how Colorado law enforcement and CDOT engaged the public.
By using attention-grabbing billboards and utilizing social media, the recent Click It Or Ticket campaign received 15,276 post interactions on Facebook. We recently wrote a blog post on the ominous billboards put up throughout the state, which included words like “brain damage” or “ejection” on black backgrounds.
According to CDOT, car accidents are a leading cause of death among Coloradoans, and seatbelts can reduce the chances of fatal accidents by almost 50 percent. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control suggest car accidents cost Colorado more than $623 million in medical expenses and lost work every year.
Why Are Click It Or Ticket Campaigns Important For Coloradoans?
It is estimated seatbelts saved 12,584 lives nationwide in 2013. Colorado is currently a “secondary state”, meaning motorists can only be ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt if pulled over for other violations. States with “primary laws”, meaning motorists can be pulled over and cited for not wearing a seatbelt, have seatbelt use rates 13 to 16 percent higher than secondary states.
The next seatbelt enforcement period will occur from July 20th to July 26th, and will focus on nighttime drivers. Continue following our blog for further updates on seatbelt safety enforcement periods.
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