Douglas County Sheriff to Participate in Click It or Ticket Campaign
Submitted by Deputy Cocha Heyden
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
303-660-7586, pgr 303-826-7822
Deputy Robert Rotherham
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Traffic Unit
303-660-7505 ext 6514
In an effort to save more lives on Colorado’s roadways, particularly at night, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will join forces with State and other local law enforcement agencies April 1-7 in a special Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement to buckle down on all motorists not buckling up – but especially those driving at night.
Traffic and patrol deputies will be working each night, 7:00 pm to 12:00 midnight, specifically targeting those that are not wearing their seat belts. According the Colorado Department of Transportation:
The risk of being involved in a fatal crash is significantly greater at night as compared to during the daytime.
NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) research shows that fewer people wear their seat belts at night than during the day.
Depending on the hour of the day, belt use among vehicle occupant fatalities can vary by nearly 31 percentage points – from a high of 61 % at 10 a.m. to a low of 30 % at 3 a.m.
Nationally in 2007, 14,464 vehicle occupants died in crashes between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., according to NHTSA research. Of that number, 63 % were not wearing seat belts, compared to 45 percent of unbelted daytime (6 a.m. and 5:59 p.m.) occupants.
In Colorado in 2008, 182 vehicle occupants died in crashes between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. Of that number, 54% were not wearing seat belts, compared to 39% of unbelted daytime (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.) occupants.
When worn correctly, seat belts have proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat light truck occupants by 60% and as much as 80% in the event of a rollover crash.
Simply buckling your seat belt can reduce medical and legal expenses, lost wages, lost productivity, high insurance rates and other burdensome costs that all citizens share because of rollovers and vehicle crashes.
No matter who you are, where you are, or what time it is, if you don’t want to risk a ticket—or more importantly, your life—Click It or Ticket. Day and night.
