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Law Enforcement To Run 'Click It Or Ticket' Campaign In Rural Colorado

DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Department of Transportation announced they will be implementing a "Click It or Tick" seat belt enforcement campaign the first week of April.

Twenty-nine rural law enforcement agencies in 49 counties will also be involved in the crackdown that will take place from April 2-8.

"We are enforcing seat belt laws in our rural communities because we know seat belts save lives, and we care about the public's safety," said Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "Crashes on rural roadways represented over half of the state's fatalities in 2011. We would much rather write a citation than notify a loved one of death that could have been avoided if they had simply buckled up."

In 2011, 187 people were killed in crashes on rural roadways.

"Please take two seconds to buckle up every time you get in a vehicle no matter how far you are going or what type of vehicle you are riding in. If we can get everyone to start the habit during Click It or Ticket, we know lives will be saved," said Officer Sean Goings of the Woodland Park Police Department.

The increased seat belt enforcement will take place in the following counties:

Alamosa
Archuleta
Baca
Bent
Delta
Clear Creek
Chaffee
Cheyenne
Crowley
Conejos
Costilla
Custer
Eagle
Elbert
Fremont
Gunnison
Garfield
Grand
Hinsdale
Huerfano
Jefferson (rural)
Kiowa
La Plata
Lake
Las Animas
Larimer (rural)
Lincoln
Logan
Mesa (rural)
Mineral
Montezuma
Montrose
Moffat
Morgan
Otero
Ouray
Park
Pitkin
Prowers
Pueblo (rural)
Routt
Rio Grande
Saguache
San Miguel
San Juan
Summit
Teller
Washington
Weld

During last year's seven-day rural Click It or Ticket enforcement period, 1,148 seat belt citations were written.

Seat belt fines are $65 per violation.

Find more information about the laws at www.seatbeltscolorado.com and www.carseatscolorado.com.

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