A seat belt enforcement campaign in Colorado saw 1,593 citations issued statewide.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) supported the Colorado State Patrol and 58 local law enforcement agencies across the state for the July campaign.
It marked the third Click It or Ticket enforcement of 2025 and during the 12-day period, law enforcement increased patrols and focused on issuing citations to unbuckled drivers, following updates to Colorado’s seat belt and car seat laws.
According to preliminary data, 1,593 citations were given during the enforcement period. The 1,593 citations are a 116 per cent increase from last year’s July Wave Click It or Ticket enforcement, when 737 drivers were cited.
CDOT said tragically, 21 unbuckled fatalities occurred in July, making it the second-highest month for 2025. March has had the most so far, with 23 unbuckled fatalities.
Last year, 50.5 per cent of crash fatalities in Colorado were unbuckled, CDOT has revealed.
Data has revealed since hitting a peak of 242 unbuckled fatalities in 2022, the numbers have been steadily declining. As of July 31, unbuckled fatalities in 2025 have dropped 14.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, decreasing from 120 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 per cent, 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.”
Updates to Colorado’s child passenger safety law took effect January 1 this year, raising the age requirement for seat belt use from under 16 years of age to under 18 years of age. The updated law also requires children to use a car seat or booster seat until their 9th birthday.
