RBC I Last year, 156 people in Colorado who lost their lives in crashes weren’t wearing a seat belt. Those lives account for more than half of the 308 passenger vehicle fatalities that occurred on Colorado roadways in 2014.
In a continued effort to keep motorists safe and move Colorado toward zero deaths, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies are mobilizing a statewide Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement period, running from this past Monday through May 31.
“Memorial Day weekend marks the start of summer travel, so with more people hitting the roadways, this is the perfect time to reinforce the importance of always wearing a seat belt, no matter how far you’re traveling,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “The fact is, seat belts save lives and officers will ticket you if you are stopped while not wearing your seat belt.”
Colorado’s seat belt laws are:
• Adults: Colorado has a secondary enforcement law for adult drivers and front-seat passengers. Drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and are not using a seat belt will be ticketed. The minimum fine is $65.
• Teens: Colorado’s Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) law requires all drivers under 18 and their passengers, no matter what 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 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.
For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit www.SeatBeltsColo-rado.com.
