Over 1,000 citations written during April Click It or Ticket enforcement
News Release
Statewide — From April 7 to 13, the Colorado Department of Transportation supported the Colorado State Patrol and 57 local law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado for the first seat belt enforcement period of 2025. During the week-long period, law enforcement increased patrols and focused on issuing citations to unbuckled drivers, with an emphasis on Colorado’s new seat belt and car seat laws.
A total of 1,108 drivers were cited during the enforcement period. The law enforcement agencies that issued the most citations during the enforcement were Westminster Police Department (78), Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (59), and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office (47). In addition, Colorado State Patrol cited 465 drivers.
“Seat belts are essential for protecting everyone on the road,” said Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Whether you’re in the driver’s seat, a passenger seat or in the back, buckling up is non-negotiable. Not only does it protect you, but it also keeps others in the vehicle safer by preventing the risk of injury from an unrestrained body in a crash. The odds of a belt-restrained driver sustaining a fatal injury is 137% higher when the passenger behind them is unbuckled.”
Changes to Colorado’s child passenger safety law
Updates to Colorado's child passenger safety law took effect Jan. 1, 2025, raising the age requirement for seat belt use. The law increases the age at which children must be restrained in a safety belt or child restraint system from under 16 years of age to under 18 years of age. Violating this law is a primary offense, meaning enforcement officers can pull over drivers if they observe an unrestrained child in the vehicle. Parents and caregivers are responsible for ensuring proper restraint and will be ticketed if they fail to do so. More information about the law updates can be found on the Colorado Child Passenger Safety Law webpage.
“Updating the age helps protect teenagers in cars, whether they’re driving or riding as a passenger," said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. "While teenager fatalities without seat belts are falling, there is no reason for a teen not to buckle up.”
Colorado law also now requires children to use a car seat or booster seat until their 9th birthday when riding in a passenger vehicle. Children under the age of 2 and below 40 pounds are required to sit in a rear-facing car seat, a change from under the age of 1 and below 20 pounds. These changes also took effect on Jan. 1, 2025. For other law changes and more information visit CarSeatsColorado.com.
The next Click It Or Ticket seat belt enforcement period will occur from May 12 to June 1 for NHTSA’s May Mobilization. Learn more about CDOT’s latest seat belt PSAs, highlighting the most unforgiving laws of all — physics.
Colorado’s seat belt laws
Colorado law requires the driver and every front seat passenger of a motor vehicle and the driver and every passenger in an autocycle equipped with a safety belt system to wear a seat belt whenever the vehicle is in operation on a street or highway.
- Adults — Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Drivers can be ticketed for violating the seat belt law if they are stopped for another traffic violation.
- Teens — Colorado’s Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) law requires all drivers under 18 and their passengers, regardless of their ages, to wear seat belts. This is a primary enforcement, meaning teens can be pulled over simply for not wearing a seatbelt or having passengers without seat belts.
- Children — Colorado's Child Passenger Safety law is a primary enforcement, meaning the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or improperly restrained child under the age of 18 in the vehicle.
Fines for not buckling up in Colorado start at $65, and parents or caregivers caught with an improperly restrained child can receive a minimum fine of $82. Caregivers can face additional charges if the law is not followed, and the child is injured.
Vehicle collisions are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. Last year, out of more than 5,000 car seat checks performed in Colorado, there was a 66% misuse rate. Parents and caregivers can learn more about Colorado child passenger safety laws, recommendations and recalls at CarSeatsColorado.com.
About Click It or Ticket
Click It or Ticket is a nationwide campaign from NHTSA. Since Click It or Ticket was introduced in Colorado in 2002, statewide seatbelt use has increased from 72% to 88%. For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit SeatBeltsColorado.com.
Crash Not Accident
Note to reporters: Crashes are no accident — they are preventable. We would appreciate you saying 'crash' instead of 'accident' when reporting.
