State agencies began a campaign to enforce seat belt laws in rural Colorado Monday. The heightened patrol focuses on areas where there’s an average 84 percent rate of seat belt usage.
"We see some higher fatalities rates in some of these rural counties in Colorado," explained Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Sam Cole. "We also see lower seat belt use rates in some of the rural counties. That’s why it’s so important to target them with increased law enforcement and increased education."
CDOT says about 85 percent of Colorado drivers use their seat belts. And that percentage falls to a bit in rural areas.
"Baca County, Delta County, Pueblo County – all have really low seat belt usage rates, some in the 60-70 percentage points," said Cole.
The heightened patrol runs through April 3.
