Third Click It or Ticket enforcement period of the year begins today

Third Click It or Ticket enforcement period of the year begins today July 20, 2026 Colorado - 74 unbuckled vehicle passengers and drivers have died on Colorado roads this year https://www.codot.gov/news/2026/july2026news/third-click-it-or-ticket-enforcement-begins-july20 https://www.codot.gov/@@site-logo/siteLogo.png

News Release

July 20, 2026 Colorado - 74 unbuckled vehicle passengers and drivers have died on Colorado roads this year

La tercera campaña de Abrochado o Multado del año empieza hoy en español

Statewide - From July 20 to 31, the Colorado Department of Transportation will support the Colorado State Patrol and 48 local law enforcement agencies for the third seat belt enforcement period of 2026. During this time, law enforcement will increase patrols and focus on issuing citations to unbuckled drivers in an effort to promote seat belt use and save lives. As of early June, 74 unbuckled vehicle passengers and drivers have died on Colorado roads this year, including two children under the age of 11.

"When you don't buckle up, you are vulnerable to the physical forces of a crash and could be ejected from the vehicle," said Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "Buckle up for every ride - no matter the distance - and as the driver, put in park until others do the same."

A CDOT data graph showing unbuckled fatalities from January through early June 2026 by month in Colorado from the CDOT Fatal Crash Data dashboard. January: 13, February: 18, March: 14, April: 11, May: 16, June: 2. Email [email protected] to download graph.

Buckling up is one of the most important decisions you can make in a vehicle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of severe injury or death by up to 65%.

NHTSA data also shows 60% of back seat passengers who were killed in a crash in 2024 were unbuckled. In a crash, unbuckled rear passengers also risk becoming projectiles capable of seriously hurting other people in the vehicle. In fact, an unbelted rear passenger increases the risk of fatality for the driver by 137%, compared with a back-seat occupant who is buckled up.

"Unbuckled back seat passengers are just as at-risk as unbuckled drivers," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "Whether you're driving, riding in a friend's car or using a rideshare service, take a moment to buckle up before the wheels start rolling. That simple click could save your life."

During the May seat belt enforcement period, law enforcement officers issued 1,037 tickets for seat belt violations, including 51 citations for improperly restrained children. The law enforcement agencies that issued the most tickets during the enforcement were Larimer County Sheriff's Office (189), Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (135) and Thornton Police Department (121).

Nationally, teens are among the highest risk for motor vehicle crashes, and among the least likely to buckle up. In 2025, of the 48 teens who died in passenger vehicle crashes, 65% were unrestrained. To encourage more Colorado teens to buckle up, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office in tandem with South Metro Fire, will be handing out coupons for free Sonic Slushes at the Arapahoe County Fair from July 23 to 26.

A graphic depicting a seat belt wrapped around an icy drink with the text overlay, "Click it. Slush it. Crush it. Seat belt? Secured. Slushes? Acquired. It's quite literally that simple." The CDOT, Arapahoe Sheriff and Sonic logos reside on the bottom of the graphic. Email [email protected] to download graphic.

Learn more about CDOT's latest seat belt PSAs, highlighting the most unforgiving laws of all - physics.

About Colorado's Seat Belt Laws

Colorado law requires the driver and every front seat passenger of a motor vehicle, and the driver and every passenger in an autocycle equipped with a safety belt system to wear a seat belt whenever the vehicle is in operation on a street or highway.

• 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 to wear seat belts. This is a primary enforcement law, meaning teens can be pulled over simply for not wearing a seat belt or having unrestrained passengers.
• Children - Colorado's Child Passenger Safety Law is a primary enforcement law, meaning the driver can be stopped and ticketed if an officer sees an unrestrained or improperly restrained child under the age of 18 in the vehicle.

Fines for not buckling up in Colorado start at $65, and parents or caregivers caught with an improperly restrained child can receive a minimum fine of $82. Caregivers can face additional charges if the law is not followed and the child is injured.

About Click It or Ticket

Click It or Ticket is a nationwide campaign from NHTSA. Since Click It or Ticket was introduced in Colorado in 2002, statewide seat belt use has increased from 72% to nearly 91%. For more information about seat belt safety and enforcement citation numbers, visit SeatBeltsColorado.com.