Increased Click It or Ticket enforcement begins Monday
News Release
Statewide - Starting April 3, 2023, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and 27 local law enforcement agencies throughout Colorado will begin the first seat belt enforcement period of 2023. The Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign will run through April 19.
To bring awareness to the importance of buckling up, CDOT is installing seat belt messages on chain-link fences in Denver and Weld Counties. The first installation of “Buckle Up” is on a fence along West Dartmouth Avenue John F. Kennedy High School in Denver, CO. A fence installation is also underway in Weld County where seat belt use rates are among the lowest.
The fence messages aim to remind drivers and passengers to buckle up for every ride, every time. During the 2022 Click It or Ticket April enforcement period, 969 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants were issued citations statewide. Of these occupants, 10 were unrestrained children.
“It should be a habit to simply reach over your shoulder and buckle up when you get into a car — no matter what,” said Chief Matthew C. Packard, Colorado State Patrol. “Clicking your seat belt only takes a few seconds and can have life-saving effects. Take the time to make seat belts part of your driving routine.”
According to the recent Colorado Statewide Seat Belt Survey, Colorado’s seat belt use rate is 87%, below the national average of 92%. Seat belt use was lowest among pickup truck drivers (78.5% use rate) — a stark difference compared to SUVs (90.3% use rate). There was a 9.6% decrease in buckled pickup truck drivers from 2021 where the survey showed a usage rate of 88.1%.
“With 13% of Coloradans still not buckling up, heightened seat belt enforcement helps raise awareness, which leads to more people buckling up,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “Our goal is to save lives and seat belts significantly increase your chances of surviving a crash.”
Proper seat belt usage reduces the risk of injury or death in a crash by 50%. Vehicle occupants can be ejected from a vehicle and killed without a fastened seat belt. The Click It or Ticket campaign encourages people to buckle up to avoid a citation and, more importantly, get home safely to their loved ones.
Monday marks the first Click It or Ticket enforcement period of 2023, with the next enforcement period taking place in May. Throughout all of the Click It or Ticket enforcement periods last year, 2,755 unrestrained vehicle occupants were issued citations across Colorado. 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.
Vehicle collisions are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. Last year, out of over 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.
Colorado’s seat belt laws
- 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 age, to 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.
- 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.
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 seat belt use has increased from 72% to 87%. For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit SeatBeltsColorado.com.
