Colorado State Patrol reminds parents of child restraint law

COLORADO (KRDO) -- Colorado State Patrol is sending a reminder to parents to become familiar with Colorado's Child Restraint and Graduated Drivers Licensing law.

In 2021, Colorado State Patrol issued 692 seat belt citations to young drivers or parents transporting kids 15 and under.

“It is a primary offense for children under 16 to be without a seatbelt or improperly restrained in a vehicle,” explains Trooper Tim Sutherland, Colorado Child Passenger Safety Program Coordinator. “This means you can be pulled over without committing any other traffic infraction because the bottom line is kids are relying on you!” 

Below is a review of Colorado's seat belt laws for youth:

• 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.

CSP provided the table below that shows child restraint requirements by age and size of a child:

For more information, click here.