On June 4, Gov. Jared Polis signed a new bill that updates Colorado’s child restraint system law for the first time in 14 years.
The updates reflect the latest research and recommendations on child passenger safety, ensuring that the laws keep pace with evolving best practices.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will launch an awareness campaign in January to ensure that Coloradans are aware of the new updates to the laws. Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for children in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Key Child Passenger Safety Law changes effective Jan. 1, 2025:
• Booster seats: Children must now use a car seat or booster seat until they are 9 years old (previously under 8 years old).
• Rear-facing car seats: Children under 2 years old and weighing under 40 pounds must be restrained in a rear-facing car seat in the rear seat if available (previously under 1 year old and under 20 pounds). Children under 2 years old but weighing more than 40 pounds may use either a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat.
• Seat belt or car seat requirement ages: Children under 18 years old must now be properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint system (previously under 16 years old).
For more details on these and other changes, visit the Colorado Child Passenger Safety Law webpage.
Car Seats Colorado emphasizes that car seats, booster seats and seat belts are developed to protect children based on their size, not their age. Even if your child looks big enough to move to the next size seat, be sure to follow all manufacturer recommendations on the car seat label.
“It’s important to remember that car seat fit is highly individualized,” said Trooper Kent Trimbach of the Colorado State Patrol and program coordinator for Car Seats Colorado. “The fit must be based on the child’s size and developmental stage, not just their age. Ensuring each car seat is properly adjusted and installed is crucial for maximizing safety.”
Properly securing children in car seats that meet federal motor vehicle safety standards significantly enhances their safety.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that child restraints reduce fatalities by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.
Last year in Colorado, 78 percent of car seats inspected by child passenger safety technicians were not being used correctly or were not installed properly, according to the Child Passenger Safety Board’s National Digital Car Seat Check Form database. This figure is an increase from 2022, when the misuse rate was just under 70 percent.
Factors contributing to improperly restrained children include an incorrectly installed car seat, use of a car seat that does not fit the child based on their size and development, not properly securing the harness or seat belt, and moving a child out of a booster seat too soon.
In addition, too often, parents move their children to the front seat before they should, which increases the risk of injury and death, even if that child is buckled up. Children under 13 years of age should always ride in the back seat.
Parents and caregivers can have their car seats checked for free by a certified technician to ensure proper installation and fit. To locate a car seat inspection location near you, visit CarSeatsColorado.com.
“Ensuring your child is protected in the car starts with using the proper safety restraint and making sure it’s installed correctly,” said Darrell Lingk, director of the Highway Safety Office at CDOT. “We offer many resources to make this as easy as possible for families, because these little ones rely entirely on their caregivers for their safety.”
The Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies will continue to prioritize enforcing proper child passenger restraint use. Parents and caregivers are responsible for properly restraining a child and will be ticketed if they fail to do so.
If you are unable to afford a car seat for your child(ren), WeeCycle, Children’s Hospital Colorado and SafeKids Colorado Springs have programs through which families can get a free or low-cost car seat. Visit their websites for more information.
Learn more about how to keep children safe in vehicles and download informational resources at CarSeatsColorado.com.
About Car Seats
Colorado
Car Seats Colorado is a joint effort of the Colorado State Patrol, CDOT, local car seat technicians, law enforcement, emergency services and other professionals who are dedicated to implementing child passenger safety programs and encouraging parents to take the necessary steps to protect their children when in vehicles.
Learn more about how to keep children safe in vehicles and download informational resources at CarSeatsColorado.com.
About CDOT
CDOT’s mission is to provide the best multimodal transportation system that most effectively and safely moves people, goods and information.
CDOT maintains more than 23,000 lane miles of highway, more than 3,400 bridges and 35 mountain passes.
Its team of employees works tirelessly to reduce the rate and severity of crashes and improve the safety of all modes of transportation. CDOT leverages partnerships with a range of private and public organizations. Find more details at codot.gov.
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