The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has developed a new state-wide safety campaign to raise awareness of the importance of seat belts.

The 2021 “Reasons” campaign kicked off with sidewalk art installations to remind drivers and passengers to always wear seat belts. The custom sidewalk art is located in high foot-traffic areas across the Front Range. Over the next few weeks, these temporary messages will remind drivers that they have many reasons to buckle up including “Baseball is back”, “Hospital bills are expensive”, and “You have that thing next Tuesday.”

During the recent statewide Click It or Ticket enforcement period, 2,123 drivers across Colorado were cited for not buckling up or for having unrestrained passengers in the vehicle.

“These numbers demonstrate the need for continued awareness of seat belt safety,” said CDOT Traffic Safety Communications Manager Sam Cole. “More than half of the people killed in crashes in our state last year were not buckled up.”

CDOT hopes that the relevant and timely messages will connect with Coloradans as they hit the roads this summer. Fatal crashes typically increase in the summer due to higher travel volumes and the presence of more impaired drivers on roadways.

The campaign runs through July and will appear on billboards, radio stations, social media channels, and on CDOT’s digital message boards throughout Colorado.

Colorado 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.