Statewide Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement cites 871 drivers
News Release
View Spanish version of the release.
STATEWIDE — The Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and 59 law enforcement agencies recently conducted the second statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement period of the year. The enforcement effort resulted in 871 seat belt citations. Twenty-four of those citations were for improperly buckled or unrestrained children. The safety crackdown ran from July 31 to Aug. 6.
The law enforcement agencies that issued the most citations were: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office with 167 citations, the Greeley Police Department with 101 citations, and the Colorado Springs Police Department with 83 citations. In addition, CSP cited 89 drivers.
“We can confidently say that seat belts are your best defense against aggressive, impaired, and distracted drivers. Seat belts keep you inside your vehicle and increase your odds of surviving a crash,” said Chief Matthew C. Packard, CSP. “Being ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly, but there are thousands of drivers and passengers who choose not to buckle up each day. This is why we will continue to enforce Colorado’s seat belt laws year-round.”
Colorado’s seat belt use rate has increased by 7% in the last eight year. However, Colorado’s use rate of 86% is still well below the national use average of 90%. In 2020, 203 unbuckled drivers and passengers were killed in crashes in the state, accounting for more than half of Colorado’s 365 total passenger vehicle deaths.
“We partner with local law enforcement and Colorado State Patrol on Click It or Ticket enforcement for one clear purpose — to save lives,” said Darrell Lingk, director of the Highway Safety Office at CDOT. “Seat belts are the best defense against impaired and distracted drivers and unexpected road hazards. Each citation could be the future reminder to buckle up when you need it most.”
During the longer May Click It or Ticket enforcement period, 2,123 drivers received citations for not buckling up — or having unrestrained passengers in the vehicle.
CDOT recently released an intimate new video series featuring interviews with victims and family members sharing stories of life-changing traffic crashes in Colorado. These experiences aim to encourage Coloradans to always buckle up. To view and download the video series, visit https://bit.ly/SeatBeltStories
Fines for not buckling up start at $65, and parents or caregivers caught with an improperly restrained child can receive a minimum fine of $82.
Learn more about Click It or Ticket enforcement and Colorado’s seat belt laws at codot.gov/safety/seatbelts. For Spanish campaign information, visit codot.gov/safety/seatbelts/
Colorado's Seat Belt Laws
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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.
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Teens — All drivers under 18 years old and their passengers, regardless of their age, must wear seat belts. This is a primary enforcement, meaning teens can be pulled over simply for not wearing a seat belt or having passengers without seat belts.
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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 age 16 in the vehicle.
From 2013 to 2017, 30 children under age 8 were killed in passenger vehicle crashes in Colorado. Among these, more than half were in an improperly used or installed car seat — or no car seat at all. 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since Click It or Ticket was introduced in Colorado in 2002, statewide seat belt use has increased from 72% to 86%. For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit SeatBeltsColorado.com.
About CDOT
CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located at its Denver headquarters and in regional offices throughout Colorado, and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also administers Bustang, the state-owned and operated interregional express service. Gov. Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.
