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CDOT and State Patrol Roll Out New Tools, Hold Car Seat Check Events

STATEWIDE — The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Colorado State Patrol (CSP) are teaming together in an annual effort to encourage parents and caregivers to protect children in vehicles. National Child Passenger Safety Week begins this weekend and runs from Sept. 18 to 24. The annual campaign raises awareness about child passenger safety laws and the importance of properly protecting children with car seats, booster seats and seat belts.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children under 13 nationally. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), three out of four children are not properly secured in car seats, putting them at severe risk of injury or death.

Last year in Colorado, eight children under the age of twelve died in crashes. Only two of the fatalities involved confirmed restraint use, but there is not information whether those restraints were properly installed.

“Too often, parents or caregivers improperly use or install child safety seats,” said Sam Cole, Communications Manager at CDOT. “To help keep children safe, we’re rolling out new resources to help parents and caregivers keep children safe while driving.”

New resources being released this week include a new website at CarSeatsColorado.com, an educational video about proper car seats use, and new educational brochures and flyers in English and Spanish that provide caregivers, law enforcement and child passenger safety technicians with the tools necessary to keep children safe in vehicles.

The new Car Seats Colorado resources can be viewed and downloaded atbit.ly/CarSeatsCO2016 or CarSeatsColorado.com. The new video can also viewed on YouTube at bit.ly/carseatvideo.

The website includes downloadable materials for parents, caregivers, law enforcement and child passenger safety technicians. Caregivers can also find nearby inspection stations, information on equipment recalls, Colorado’s car seat laws and more.

Car Seats Colorado also offers a new car seat recycling program. It is unsafe to use any car seat that was involved in a crash, has been recalled, or is simply worn out or out of date. There are 20 drop-off locations across the state. Child passenger safety professionals also recommend that people who sell or give away any car seat or booster seat have it inspected by a professional first.

“It’s important for parents and caregivers to not only put their children in a car seat or booster seat, but also make sure that that seat is free of any damage, defects or recalls,” said Tim Sutherland, Car Seats Colorado Program Coordinator with CSP. “You wouldn’t wear a bike helmet that has a crack in it, so why would you put your child in a seat that has something wrong with it? The recycle program will hopefully take some of those bad seats out of circulation.”

Throughout the week, CDOT and CSP will host free car seat check events. At the events, trained car seat safety technicians will offer free car seat and booster seat inspections, fit checks and newly updated safety and law compliance educational materials. Event information can be found on the Car Seats Colorado Facebook events page.

Car Seats Colorado is comprised of CDOT, CSP, local car seat technicians, law enforcement, emergency services and other professionals who are dedicated to implementing child passenger safety programs and encouraging parents to take the necessary steps to protect their children when in vehicles. Learn more about how to keep children safe in vehicles and download informational resources at CarSeatsColorado.com.

Fred Estrian, the classic walk signal man, comes to life in animated shorts

STATEWIDE – In 2015, there were 1,330 pedestrian crashes and 59 pedestrian fatalities in Colorado. 72% of the crashes occurred at non-intersections. To educate pedestrians and drivers on the importance of observing pedestrian laws, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s latest campaign features Fred Estrian, the classic walk signal man, brought to life. Hosted on social media, Fred Estrian, a play on the word “pedestrian,” comes alive in animated shorts that remind Coloradans of the importance of pedestrian safety.

As the face of CDOT’s newest safety campaign, Fred Estrian has lived trapped inside a small box. His dream is to break free from his confines and do something more to protect the lives of Colorado’s pedestrians. Eventually he does bust out of his caged existence and interacts with the humans he loves so much. CDOT’s 15 and 30-second animated shorts highlight Fred’s escape and some of the major factors that play a role in pedestrian fatalities.

The videos are available for download at bit.ly/CDOTPedSafety.  They will also appear on CDOT’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/coloradodot

These quick, digestible and sharable videos will introduce Colorado to Fred and his mission, and will serve as teasers to Fred’s real-life debut, coming soon. The campaign’s execution allows CDOT to engage one-on-one with pedestrians, forging connections by delivering a serious message with a light hearted and humorous tone.

Utilizing a mix of earned, paid, social and ambient media strategies and tactics, CDOT’s campaign focuses heavily on the digital space to meet pedestrians and drivers where they spend most of their time – online.

“We wanted to think outside the box – literally – as a way to promote crosswalks and increase pedestrian safety,” states Sam Cole, Traffic Safety Communications Manager with CDOT. “Through Fred, the campaign is able to raise awareness and provide the entertaining and engaging content needed to make a lasting impression on pedestrians and drivers alike.”

The campaign also includes stencil art at crosswalks, intersections and transitional areas like parking garages. The water-soluble stencil art relates key statistics and safety tips to pedestrians and drivers across metro Denver.

Pedestrian fatalities and crashes are a growing concern in Colorado, particularly at non-intersections. The campaign aims to promote the importance of crosswalks, urging drivers to be alert when approaching a crosswalk and encouraging pedestrians to only use crosswalks when crossing the street.

For more information about Fred Estrian and the campaign, visit www.facebook.com/coloradodot. For pedestrian laws and safety tips, visit https://www.codot.gov/programs/bikeped/information-for-pedestrians.

VISUAL OPPS

• 30-second videos
• 15-second videos
• Sidewalk Chalk – multiple metro Denver intersections

STATEWIDE — Starting tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 16, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and law enforcement agencies from across Colorado are combining efforts for The Heat Is On campaign’s Fall Festivals DUI enforcement. Last year, 1,486 impaired drivers were arrested over the five-week enforcement period. The increased DUI enforcement runs through Oct. 24 with additional patrols, checkpoints and extra officers on duty looking for impaired drivers.

According to preliminary data, as of yesterday Sept. 14, there have been 133 impairment traffic fatalities in 2016, accounting for 31 percent of the 410 total traffic fatalities.

“It’s heartbreaking to see people continue to drive impaired with plenty of resources and alternative modes of transportation available,” said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “CDOT encourages making a travel plan for a sober ride both to and from your destination, leaving no chance to drive impaired.”

To date, 83 agencies will be participating in the enforcement period.

“The Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies have zero tolerance for impaired drivers,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Preventing friends and family from driving impaired could save their lives, or the lives of other drivers and pedestrians on Colorado’s roads. One impaired driver can drastically change the lives of many people.”

CDOT’s newly enhanced “R-U-Buzzed” smartphone app is a resource to help avoid driving impaired. R-U-Buzzed is a blood-alcohol content (BAC) calculator that provides direct access to ride-hailing services. The app works by estimating individual BAC levels based data entered by the user — weight, gender, time drinking and alcohol consumed. The app features a one-screen interface that allows users to immediately update or begin a new reading. Finally, the app calculates the BAC level and shares safety information about impairment and Colorado’s laws.

On iPhone and Android smartphones, download the R-U-Buzzed app here: onelink.to/r-u-buzzed