Colorado drivers rank lower than national average for lack of seat belt use in 2021

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Colorado ranked below the national average for the lack of seat belt use in 2021. According to the Colorado State Patrol, out of 14,590 seat belt citations issued 3,780 were female drivers and 10,810 were male.

“Looking at our 2021 data, we’ve definitely noticed who is less likely to use this proven, life saving device,” stated Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Colorado State Troopers responded to more serious injury and fatality crashes involving improper use or no use of seat belts with our male drivers between the ages of 20 – 39 than any other group.”

Wearing a seat belt can save your life even if when just driving a few blocks and automatically reduces the risk of injury or death by 50%, according the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

COLORADO’S SEAT BELT LAWS

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, 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.

Protecting all drivers on the road and making sure we keep communities safe is top priority. For further information on seat belt safety and guidelines, you can contact the Colorado State Patrol by clicking here.