Car crashes continue to be a leading cause of death and injury for children in Colorado. In 2024, data showed that nearly three-quarters of car seats in the state were either installed or used incorrectly. To address this issue, Car Seats Colorado, WeeCycle, and AAA have organized free car seat checks throughout metro Denver during Child Passenger Safety Month.
At a recent event at Central Park Recreation Center, technicians helped families ensure their car seats were properly installed and adjusted according to state law. The event was designed to bring experts directly to parents and caregivers instead of requiring them to visit inspection stations.
“According to safety data, correctly using a car or booster seat can mean the difference between life and death for children in a crash,” said CDOT’s Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “No parent wants to get it wrong, but many simply don’t know what is required. We are committed to making sure caregivers have the knowledge and tools to protect their children every time they are traveling on the road.”
Colorado updated its child passenger safety laws earlier this year. The new regulations increase the age requirement for mandatory use of a car seat or booster from 8 to 9 years old and require children to remain in rear-facing car seats until age 2. Children must now be properly restrained in a seat belt until they are 18, compared with the previous requirement of 16.
“We owe it to our kids to do everything we can to protect them — and that starts with installing and using their car seats correctly,” said Trooper Kent Trimbach, program coordinator for Car Seats Colorado. “Car seats, boosters and seat belts save lives, but only when used the right way. Babies and toddlers are entirely dependent on adults for proper restraint, so it’s up to parents and caregivers to make sure they’re as safe as possible every time they’re in a car.”
The law also specifies that children under nine must ride in the back seat secured by an appropriate restraint system. Violations are considered primary offenses; law enforcement can stop drivers if they observe an unrestrained or improperly restrained child.
These changes bring Colorado’s laws into alignment with current research on child passenger safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that booster seats reduce serious injury risk among older children by almost half compared with seat belts alone (https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that proper child restraints decrease fatalities by more than two-thirds for infants and over half for toddlers (https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/child-safety).
Car Seats Colorado advises selecting restraints based on children’s size rather than age alone. A common error is moving a child out of a booster too soon or choosing an inappropriate seat type for their stage of development.
Parents can find local inspection stations, register their car seats, or access installation guidance at CarSeatsColorado.com (https://carseatscolorado.com/). For those unable to afford one, organizations such as WeeCycle (https://weecycle.org/), Children’s Hospital Colorado (https://www.childrenscolorado.org/) and SafeKids Colorado Springs (https://www.safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-colorado-springs) offer programs providing free or low-cost car seats.
During the 2025 Click It or Ticket campaign, authorities issued hundreds of citations related to improper child restraint use across Colorado.
