Heightened seat-belt enforcement begins throughout Colorado on Monday as state authorities begin their annual targeted efforts through the end of the month.
“Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer travel, so with more people hitting the roadways, this is the perfect time to reinforce the importance of always wearing a seat belt, no matter how far you’re traveling,” Col. Scott Hernandez, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in a statement. “The fact is, seat belts save lives, and officers will ticket you if you are stopped while not wearing your seat belt.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation says last year 156 people who lost their lives in crashes weren’t wearing a seat belt — more than half of the overall deaths on the state’s roadways.
During last year’s enforcement period, 8,044 motorists were cited for driving without a seat belt, a decrease from the 9,355 citations handed out in 2013, CDOT says.
State officials say they hope this year Colorado reaches the national average of 87 percent seat-belt usage among motorists.
Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for Coloradans, CDOT said in a news release.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
