Colorado State Patrol Launches Seat Belt Awareness Campaign to Safely Start the New Year

GOLDEN, Colorado – In early 2022, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) is urging drivers across Colorado to make one of the simplest and most important New Year’s resolutions of all: stay alive by wearing a seat belt of security.

The “You wouldn’t want to…” campaign will launch on Saturday January 1, 2022 and remind drivers and passengers that buckling up is a “no-brainer” if they want to stay safe and stay alive.

With heavy traffic, construction areas, mountain passes, busy rural roads, and all manner of weather conditions, driving in Colorado is not a passive activity. Driving, just like other popular activities, is a lot less risky and a lot more fun when people use the safety equipment that comes with them. The Colorado State Patrol’s “You Wouldn’t Want …” campaign urges passengers to remember that driving and operating vehicles without seat belts can result in serious injury and unnecessary death.

Despite the proven benefit of reducing the risk of serious injury or death in accidents by 50% (NHTSA), the seat belt use rate in Colorado is 86%, well below average. 90% national.

“Colorado drivers and passengers can push the ‘easy button’ with their New Years resolution this year – just buckle up and stick with it all year round,” said Col. Matthew C. Packard , head of the Colorado State Patrol. “Every trip, whether short or long, begins with the click of a seat belt. It should be a non-negotiable part of getting in the car.

In 2021, the top five counties in Colorado for fatal and personal injury accidents investigated by the Colorado State Patrol with at least one occupant who was not or improperly secured were:

1. Weld County
2. El Paso County
3. Adam County
4. Jefferson County
5. Larimer County

In addition, unattached or poorly secured occupants who were killed or injured in these same crashes were predominantly in the 20 to 29 age group.

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