The Denver Police Department took to social media to launch the Colorado Department of Transportation's new safety initiative, "Buckle Up — Someone Needs You." The campaign, publicized in a recent Facebook post, as per Denver Police Department, underscores the critical importance of seat belt usage, imploring Denver's motorists to consider their families, friends, and even pets who rely on their safe return.
Syncing up with the national Click It or Ticket enforcement period this July, Colorado is enforcing its local counterpart from today through August 1. Law enforcement agencies are set to bolster patrols and issue citations more actively to those ignoring restraint regulations. Notably, 82 individuals so far this year failed to make it home, comprising nearly half of the passenger vehicle fatalities in Colorado. These are the lives behind the numbers, each with a story cut short due to the absence of a strapped seat belt.
State laws in Colorado are clear when it comes to restraints: all drivers and those riding shotgun are mandated by law to buckle up. This is a secondary offense for adults, who may be ticketed for this infraction alongside another violation. Yet for younger vehicle occupants, the rules tighten with primary enforcement, allowing for traffic stops predicated on seat belt enforcement alone. Offenders may find themselves facing fines beginning at $65, and those with improperly restrained children at a starting point of $82, with potential additional charges should the child be injured from non-compliance.
