From July 21 to August 1, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in partnership with the Colorado State Patrol and 58 local law enforcement agencies, conducted the July Wave seat belt enforcement period as part of the Click It or Ticket campaign. This was the third such enforcement initiative in 2025.
During this 12-day effort, law enforcement focused on increased patrols and issued citations to drivers who were not wearing seat belts. According to preliminary data from CDOT, a total of 1,593 citations were given during this period. This represents a significant increase—116%—from last year’s July Wave, when 737 drivers were cited. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office reported the highest number of citations at 217, followed by the Aurora Police Department with 180 and the Loveland Police Department with 151. The Colorado State Patrol issued citations to 362 drivers.
July saw 21 unbuckled fatalities across Colorado, making it the second-highest month for such incidents in 2025; March recorded the most so far this year with 23 fatalities involving unrestrained occupants. Last year, over half of crash fatalities in Colorado involved individuals who were not wearing seat belts. Since reaching a peak of 242 unbuckled fatalities in 2022, these numbers have been declining. As of July 31, there has been a decrease of approximately 14% in unbuckled fatalities compared to the same period last year—from 120 down to 103.
“It’s encouraging to see unbuckled fatalities decline this year,” said CDOT’s Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “However, Colorado’s seat belt usage rate is still below the national average of 91%, and far too many lives are lost each year that could have been saved simply by buckling up. Taking just two seconds to put on a seat belt could save your life.”
New requirements under Colorado’s child passenger safety law took effect January 1, raising the age for mandatory seat belt use from under age sixteen to under eighteen years old. The updated law also states that children must use a car seat or booster until their ninth birthday when riding in passenger vehicles; those under two years old and weighing less than forty pounds must be secured in a rear-facing car seat. Parents and caregivers are legally responsible for ensuring children are properly restrained and can be ticketed if they fail to comply.
“It is the responsibility of parents and caregivers to ensure that any child in their vehicle is properly restrained,” said Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Not only is it the law, but it could also be the difference between life, serious injury or death.”
Colorado law requires all drivers and front-seat passengers—and all occupants in an autocycle equipped with safety belts—to wear them while traveling on public roads. Fines for failing to buckle up start at $65; parents or caregivers found transporting improperly restrained children face minimum fines starting at $82 and may incur additional charges if noncompliance results in injury.
More information about these laws can be found on the Colorado Child Passenger Safety Law webpage.
