Child Safety Seat Law in Colorado
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, it is the driver's responsibility to ensure that child passengers are properly restrained. The proper restraints are set forth in the Child Passenger Safety Laws and vary depending on the age and weight of the child.
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Children Under One
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According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the law requires infants to ride in a "rear-facing" child safety seat until they turn one year old and weigh at least 20 pounds. However, many safety advocates recommend riding in a rear-facing child safety seat for as long as possible. Many rear-facing child safety seats will hold children up to 35 pounds.
Children One To Four
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According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the law requires that children between one and four who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds be restrained in a "forward-facing" child safety seat. Safety advocates also recommend the use of top tether straps. A top tether strap is a strap which connects the top of the carseat to a place behind the carseat (usually the parcel shelf). According to car-safety.org, top tether straps are designed to prevent the top of the carseat from jerking forward in the event of an accident. This can reduce the chances of the child being injured.
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Children Four To Six
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According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the law requires that children who are between four and six years old or who weigh over 40 pounds be restrained in a child "booster seat" or with a child "safety belt-positioning device," unless they are 55 inches tall. According to Traffic Safety Foundation, studies show that booster seats reduce the risk of injury and death by 60 percent over using seat belts alone.
Children Over Six
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According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the law requires that a child who is over six years old or is at least 55 inches tall restrained with the vehicle's safety belt. This is a relatively new law that came into effect in 2003.
Enforcement and Penalties
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The law requiring booster seats is a secondary enforcement. This means that the driver must be stopped for another driving offense in order to be ticketed for a violation of the booster seat laws. However, the infant seat, child safety seat, and seat belt laws are primary enforcement. This means the driver can be stopped and ticketed solely based on those offenses. The minimum fine for violations is $58.80 as of 2009. Additionally, the driver can be fined for each child in violation. It should be noted that there are a few narrow exceptions, including children who are being transported for a medical emergency.
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- Photo Credit Martin Burns/creativecommons.org
