Click It or Ticket enforcement begins Monday April 4, 2022
Starting April 4, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and 33 local law enforcement agencies throughout the state will begin the first seat belt enforcement period of 2022. Longmont Police will participate in this program. The Click It or Ticket heightened enforcement campaign will run through April 20.
Last year, 232 passenger vehicle occupants were killed on Colorado roadways. This is a 12% increase over 2020. According to the recent State of Colorado Statewide Seat Belt Survey, Colorado’s seat belt use rate is 86%, far below the national average of 90%.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts reduce the risk of injury or death in a crash by 50%. Without a seat belt fastened, people can be ejected from a vehicle and killed. The Click It or Ticket campaign encourages people to buckle up to avoid a citation but, more importantly, get home safely to their loved ones.
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.
