According to a survey by the Colorado Department of Transportation, seat belt use in Colorado increased by 2.5 percent points in 2018 after three years of decline.
CDOT’s 2018 State of Colorado Statewide Seat Belt Survey shows seat belt usage improved to 86.3 percent from 83.8 percent in 2017 – the first improvement since 2015. Still, Colorado trails the national seat belt average of 90 percent.
“Although some counties improved, overall the state is below the national average,” said Darrell Lingk, director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “Colorado unfortunately lacks a primary seat belt law, so people are only cited for not wearing a seat belt when they are pulled over for another traffic violation. This results in less people buckling up.”
Fines for not buckling up start at $65, and parents or caregivers caught with an improperly restrained child can receive a minimum fine of $82.
The survey also reported seat belt use rates in 31 Colorado counties, ranging from the lowest rate of 65 percent in Cheyenne County to the highest rate of 95 percent in Douglas County. The most improved county was Clear Creek, at 85 percent, a gain of 8 percentage points.
Five of the six counties with the lowest use rates were rural – Cheyenne at 65 percent, Delta at 75 percent, La Plata at 76 percent, and Montezuma and Chaffee counties at 77 percent. Last year, Montezuma County was at 74.4 percent, and La Plata at 74 percent.
“Each year, this survey gives insight on where we need to focus our efforts to increase Colorado’s seat belt use,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “As in past years, rural counties use seat belts less than other areas in the state.”
In 2017, Colorado ranked 40th in the U.S. in seat belt use, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Data for 2018 were not available, CDOT said.
Last year, there were 222 unbuckled fatalities on Colorado roads, about half the 410 total passenger vehicle deaths in the state, according to year-to-date fatality data. CDOT recorded one fatal traffic crash in Montezuma County in June, but none in Cortez. Seven fatal crashes were reported in La Plata County, and three were related to impaired drivers.
The annual State of Colorado Statewide Seat Belt Survey is required by NHTSA and is conducted by surveyors who observe and record seat belt use for drivers and front seat passengers only. For the CDOT survey, 132,447 vehicles and 162,096 occupants were observed during two weeks in June between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. NHTSA has stated that belt use is significantly lower, and unbelted fatalities are far greater at night. The margin of error for the seat belt use survey varied by location, but was about 2.6 percent in Montezuma County.
Seat belts reduce the risk of injury and death in a crash by an estimated 50 percent, the press release stated.
