05 12 25 CDOT Safety Communications Manager Sam Cole on Click It or Ticket campaign

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Colorado Department of Transportation, joining the largest seat belt
campaign of the year.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Clickord ticket, happening today through June first, law enforcement can
increase focus on issuing citations to unbuckled drivers and passengers.
Joining us now in the KA Comma Spirit Health Hotline
with what you need to Know sea Dot Communications Manager.
It's Sam Cole. Sam. I have a hard time believing
this is still a thing, and I know many of
our listeners want to understand wearing a seat belt. Is

(00:25):
it something now that people will be looking for officers
as a first defense or is this something if they
pull you over for something else and see you're unbuckled,
they will issue a citation in summons.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
There, Yeah, it really depends how old you are. But
for most of us, if you're an adult, it's a
secondary offense. So if you're pulled over for another offense
and you're not buckled up, you can get a ticket.
But for kids and anybody under eighteen, yeah, it's primary efens.
You can be pulled over or if you're an adult
and you've got kids in your car, anybody under eighteen,

(00:55):
that's a primary offense, which means you can get pulled
over just for having unbuckled kids in your.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Car, Sam, how is Colorado doing when it comes to
just our overall seatbelt use enforcement rate? Are we improving
or how do we compare when it comes to other states?

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, we are below the national average. Eighty eight percent
of people in Colorado buckle up. That is huge. That
has done nothing to sneeze about, but it is below
the national average. You know, this clickut or ticket campaign,
everybody's heard of it. It's been going on probably for decades,
and it's responsible for the fact that we have close
to ninety percent of people in Colorado buckling up it,

(01:31):
you know, ten twenty years ago, it used to be
you know, used to be in the sixties and seventies percent.
So the fact that we're almost at ninety percent is
a huge testament to the enforcement related to a clicket
or ticket.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Sam. I don't know if you have this data, but
I always heard that most fatal accidents happen five miles
or less from somebody's home. So I'm wondering if there's
a cavalier attitude thinking I'm close enough to home, I
don't have to put it on. Versus if you know
you're going to be on a major highway driving for
twenty five thirty plus miles. You maybe do that habit
more often.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
I'm so glad you brought that up. Yet, most fatal
crashes do happen close to home. Most crashes happened close
to where you live. So that's why it's important not
to buckle up just on the highway, the buckle up everywhere,
even it means just going and picking up the kids
from school. We're going and get a carton of eggs.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
How many citations were made in the last enforcement period
and what are some of those excuses that you hear
aside from Okay, I just have a short drive. Do
you hear other people saying why they're not buckling up?

Speaker 3 (02:27):
Yeah, So we have close to forty agencies participating in
the current cricketers take an enforcement period across the state.
Last year it was something like seventeen hundred citations were issued,
and a fair number of those actually for people who
had unbuckled kids in their cars. As far as why
people don't buckle up, oh, I'm just going down to
these stores, just a short trip. What we hear a

(02:50):
lot is people I'm a great driver, I'm a safe driver.
I don't need to buckle up. And you know what,
there's a lot of bad drivers out there. They're drowsy,
they're drunk, they're drug Those are the ones that present
the danger to you. Sometimes just can't avoid a crash
because of other people on the road.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
And Sam, sometimes money and hitting people on the wallet
and pocketbook is the main motivation to do something. What
are the fines for not buckling up for folks?

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, well it's more expensive you've got unbuckled kids in
your car and you're pulled over. It's close to one
hundred dollars. But a normal ticket is sixty five dollars
for not buckling up.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Click at or ticket now in effect through June. First
Dots communications manager at Sam Cole.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Thanks Sam, Hey, thank you,