A grace period for 6- and 7-year-olds to ride without car safety seats ends Sunday, and starting Monday parents will face a minimum $82 ticket if kids aren’t properly restrained, the Colorado State Patrol said today.
When lawmakers expanded Colorado’s child passenger safety law from “under 6” to “under 8”, they included a one-year education period that ends Monday.
A violation is a primary offense, meaning law enforcement can pull a driver over if they suspect a child is improperly restrained.
The measure is aimed at reducing injuries and deaths. State troopers said that from 2006 to 2010 in Colorado, 20 children between 4 and 7 old died in crashes. Eleven were improperly restrained.
Four- to 7-year-olds who use booster seats are 45 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than those using adult seatbelts, the agency states.
Booster seats lift the child so the lap belt fits the hips to protect organs, and the shoulder strap rests on the collar bone instead of on the neck or above the child.
Though the new law applies until a child is 8, safety experts recommend booster seats until kids are 4 feet, 9 inches tall.
Parents can visit any of the state patrol’s seat-fitting stations. To find one, visit or call 303-239-4625 in metro Denver.
