Colorado State Patrol began the first Click It or Ticket enforcement period of the year Monday, April 4.

Heightened state patrol presence looking for unbuckled passengers will extend until April 20. In 2021, 232 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants were killed on Colorado roadways. Of those deaths, 72% were men and 28% were women, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s 2021 seat belt study. Colorado’s seat belt use trails behind the national average of 90% — with drivers in Colorado wearing seat belts 86% of the time.

During the three Click It or Ticket enforcement periods in 2021, 2,994 unrestrained drivers were issued citations across Colorado. Fines for not buckling up in Colorado start at $65, and parents or caregivers caught with an improperly restrained child can receive a minimum fine of $82. Last year, state patrol handed out more than 14,000 seat belt citations.