'Click It Or Ticket' Campaign Shares Important Safety Message With A Little Fun

DENVER (CBS4)- The Colorado Department of Transportation, along with the Colorado State Patrol and law enforcement across the state, are kicking off a seat belt enforcement campaign. This year's important safety message is delivered with some fun.

Law enforcement want people to share their stories of why they buckle up. Then they want to spread that message so that it catches on.

According to the Colorado State Patrol: The seat belt law for adults requires the driver and front seat passengers to buckle up. The law is a secondary offense, meaning a driver must be stopped for another offense before receiving a ticket for a seat belt violation. The minimum fine is $65.

On Monday, Colorado State Patrol kicked off the Click It or Ticket campaign. They want people to talk about why they wear their seat belt and then take a photo of the positive message and share it on social media.

More than 60 law enforcement agencies in Colorado are part of the seat belt enforcement campaign. In Colorado, only 86 percent of people buckle up, which is low compared to the national average.

"Two hundred and twenty-two people not wearing their seat belts last year, lost their lives on Colorado roads. Even one life is too many. That's why these seat belt enforcement periods are so important because if people don't have enough sense to wear their seat belts, we want law enforcement out there reminding them," said CDOT spokesman Sam Cole.

Officers say during the heightened seat belt awareness period from May 20 to June 2, they will be writing tickets.

Additional Information from the Colorado State Patrol: 

The child passenger safety law clearly defines child safety seat and seat belt use from birth through age 15 as follows:

• The law requires infants to ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until they are at least one year old and weigh less than 20 pounds.
• The law requires children ages one to four years old that weigh at least 20 pounds up to 40 pounds to be restrained in a forward-facing or rear-facing child safety seat.
• The law requires that children who weigh over 40 pounds or who are at least four years old be properly restrained in a child booster seat or with a child safety belt-positioning device. Children must ride in booster seats until they are eight years old.
• A child who is at least eight years old must be properly restrained with a safety belt or child restraint system.

For more information on Child Passenger Safety visit: https://www.codot.gov/safety/seatbelts-carseats/carseats