Seat belts, child seats and phone laws in Colorado

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state who must wear a seat belt in Colorado.
• You can explain the stricter seat belt and passenger rules for under-18 drivers.
• You can choose the right child restraint by a child's age and weight under the rules in force since 2025.
• You can explain the hands-free law and its penalties.
• You can set up your phone before you drive.

What you need to know and understand

• Drivers and front-seat passengers must wear a seat belt.
• If the driver is under 18, every occupant must be properly restrained, and seat belt violations by under-18 drivers carry 2 points.
• For adults, a seat belt ticket is secondary: you can only be cited if stopped for another violation.
• Since January 1, 2025, children under 9 must ride in a child restraint system, and children under 2 who weigh under 40 pounds ride rear-facing in a rear seat if one is available.
• Children aged 9 to 17 must use a seat belt or child restraint.
• Since January 1, 2025, drivers may not hold or manually use a phone while driving unless using a hands-free accessory.
• A first hands-free offense brings a $75 fine and 2 points. A ticket can be dismissed one time only if you show proof you bought a hands-free accessory.
• The DMV and CDOT tell drivers under 18 not to use a phone for any purpose while driving, except to call for help in an emergency.

Seat belts and child seats

Colorado requires the driver and every front-seat passenger to buckle up. The rules are tighter for teen drivers: everyone in a car driven by someone under 18 must be belted, only one passenger may sit in front, and there cannot be more back-seat passengers than belts.

For children, the rules updated on January 1, 2025 step up by age and size:

• Under 2 and under 40 pounds: rear-facing seat, in a rear seat if one is available. A child under 2 who weighs 40 pounds or more may face forward or rearward.
• Age 2 to under 4, at least 20 pounds: rear-facing or forward-facing child seat, in a rear seat if available.
• Age 4 to under 9, at least 40 pounds: child seat or booster seat, in a rear seat if available, used as the maker instructs.
• Age 9 to 17: seat belt or child restraint.

Phones: what is and is not allowed

Drivers may use a phone only hands-free, for example through voice commands or a mounted device you do not hold. Holding a phone to your ear, texting, or scrolling, even when stopped at a light, breaks the law. CDOT also notes that earbuds in both ears are not allowed. Texting and manual data entry by any driver remain illegal.

Penalties rise with repeat offenses within 24 months: $75 and 2 points for a first, $150 and 3 points for a second, and $250 and 4 points for a third or later. For drivers under 18, the DMV and CDOT go further: do not talk or text on a phone at all while driving, except to call for help in an emergency. Our guide to Colorado's hands-free law for new drivers has more detail.

Beating distraction

1. Set your route and music before moving.
2. Turn on a driving-focus mode so messages wait.
3. Put the phone out of reach, or mounted and untouched if you are an adult using navigation.
4. Ask a passenger to handle calls or directions.
5. Pull over and park if you must use the phone.

Common mistakes

• Checking the phone at red lights; it still counts as driving.
• Letting back-seat friends ride unbelted when a teen is driving.
• Moving a child to a booster or belt too early; under the 2025 rules, a child stays in a child seat or booster until age 9.
• Treating a mounted phone as safe to tap and scroll; holding, texting or watching video while driving breaks the law, and teens are told to leave the phone alone entirely.

Test yourself: Seat belts, child seats and phone laws in Colorado

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Colorado Hands-Free Law
• Colorado Traction Law and Mountain Winter Driving for New Drivers
• Colorado Permit Practice Test