Law enforcement agencies across the state issued more than 1,300 citations to drivers not wearing their seat belts during a two-week enforcement campaign last month.

Among the 61 agencies involved in the campaign, the Colorado State Patrol issued 214 citations, the most of any agency.

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Locally, officers from the Denver Police Department issued 132 citations throughout the campaign.

Although the campaign is only two weeks long, officials say it’s to raise awareness of Coloradans killed in vehicle accidents as a result of not being buckled up. 

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“Nearly 300 Coloradans have been killed in passenger vehicle crashes this year,” said Chief Matthew Packard of CSP. “Although hard to believe this is occurring in 2020, over half of those involved unbuckled drivers or passengers. Buckling up would have helped them survive.”

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, in 2019, half of Colorado’s 377 deaths were caused by drivers and passengers not wearing a seat belt. 

Statewide, Colorado’s seat belt usage rate is 86%, which is 2% lower than the national average. 

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Throughout Denver County, there have been 60 unbuckled vehicle fatalities from 2015 to 2019, accounting for more than half of the vehicle deaths reported during that time period. 

Despite law enforcement agencies citing more than 1,300 drivers for being unbuckled, the number of citations dropped by 1,168 in relation to July’s Click it or Ticket campaign.