COLORADO (KOAA) — Starting Monday and ending on June 1, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the Colorado State Patrol and around 40 local law enforcement agencies will conduct the largest seat belt campaign of the year.
CDOT says as warmer weather brings more drivers to the road, the risk of traffic crashes increases. To help prevent injuries and deaths, those in a vehicle are urged to wear seat belts and prioritize safety.
During the 21 day 'Click It or Ticket' enforcement period, law enforcement will increase patrols and focus on writing tickets to unbuckled people in vehicles.
According to CDOT, last year, more than 1,750 tickets were issued, including almost 75 of those being written for children who weren't wearing a seat belt.
This year, almost 50 lives have been lost on Colorado roads because people weren't wearing a seat belt. CDOT says this is almost 40% of traffic deaths in the state.
CDOT says the Click It or Ticket campaign has been successful in raising seat belt use across the country. They say seat belt use in Colorado is 88%, which is up from 79% in 2005.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates wearing a seat belt in the front seat can reduce the risk of death by 45% and decrease the risk of critical injury by 50%.
“For every excuse, there is only one response for why troopers want you to wear a seat belt. No other safety feature in your vehicle is more effective in reducing your risk of dying in a crash than wearing a seat belt,” said Col. Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “The reality is that 186 people died in Colorado in 2024 while not wearing a seat belt. Their lives might have been saved if they decided to buckle up.”
“We see traffic deaths increase during the summer months on Colorado roads,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “Drivers need to buckle up at all times, even when they think it’s safe. Seat belts save lives in all situations, including in trucks and on rural roads.”
During April's seat belt enforcement period, CDOT says law enforcement officers issued more than 1,000 tickets.
The next seat belt enforcement period will be from July 21 to August 1. To learn more about seat belt safety, visit CDOT's website.
Colorado law requires every front seat passenger in a vehicle to wear a seat belt.
You can view a breakdown of Colorado seat belt laws below:
- 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 wearing a seat belt in Colorado start at $65. CDOT says parents or caregivers who have a child in the vehicle that is not wearing a seat belt can receive a minimum fine of $82. Additional charges can happen if a child is injured as a result.
According to CDOT, crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one to 13. Last year in Colorado, car seat inspections revealed almost 80% of them were not being used correctly.
To learn more about car seat safety, visit CDOT's website.
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