Losing your license, seat belts and child restraints

Key points

1. Your license can be suspended, revoked or canceled for reaching the point limit, a DUI conviction or refusing an alcohol or drug test.

   Source: Handbook p. 2

   “Meet or exceed the minimum point accumulation for suspension. Are convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Refuse to be tested for alcohol or drug content.”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 2

2. Leaving a crash scene without stopping, exchanging information and giving aid can cost you your license.

   Source: Handbook p. 2

   “Are convicted of failing to report a crash or leaving the scene of a crash without stopping, exchanging information and rendering aid.”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 2

3. Drivers must have proof of insurance while driving and show it when an officer asks.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “Fail to provide valid evidence of insurance when requested by a law enforcement officer. Drivers are required to have proof of insurance while operating a vehicle.”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 3

4. The driver, front seat passengers and children under 16 must wear seat belts.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “The driver Front seat passengers Children under 16”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 3

5. Children under 2 and under 40 pounds ride rear facing in the rear seat.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “Children less than 2 years old and weighing less than 40 pounds: must be properly secured in the rear seat of the vehicle in a rear-facing child restraint system.”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 3

6. Children 4 to under 9 who weigh at least 40 pounds need a child restraint or booster seat.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “Children 4 years of age or older, but less than 9 years of age and weighing at least 40 pounds: must be properly secured in a child restraint system or booster seat”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 3

7. Children between 9 and 18 must wear a seat belt or use a child restraint.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “Children between 9 and 18 years old: must be properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint system”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 3

8. When the driver is under 18, passengers may not outnumber the seat belts.

   Source: Handbook p. 3

   “The number of passengers in vehicles driven by persons younger than 18 must not exceed the number of seat belts.”
   Colorado Driver Handbook, Handbook p. 3

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Colorado practice test

1. 1. Under Colorado seat belt law, which group must wear a fastened belt in a vehicle with a factory-equipped belt system?

   1. Only children under 16, while adults are exempt
   2. Only the driver and passengers in the back seat
   3. The driver, front seat passengers, and children under 16
   4. Every passenger except the driver
   Show answer

   The driver, front seat passengers, and children under 16. On Colorado public roads, the fastened-belt requirement applies in motor vehicles with a factory-equipped seat belt system to the driver, front seat passengers, and children under 16. It is not limited to children and does not exempt the driver. The handbook lists narrow exceptions, including emergency personnel, passenger or school buses, farm equipment, certain delivery drivers while working, and a person with a written medical statement. Before moving, check the driver's belt, the front passenger's belt, and every child under 16. The rear-seat-only option describes the opposite coverage.

2. 2. A Colorado child is younger than 2 and weighs less than 40 pounds. What restraint is required?

   1. A seat belt alone in any seating position
   2. A forward-facing restraint in the front seat
   3. A rear-facing child restraint properly secured in the rear seat
   4. A booster seat in the rear seat
   Show answer

   A rear-facing child restraint properly secured in the rear seat. For a child younger than 2 who weighs less than 40 pounds, Colorado requires a rear-facing child restraint properly secured in the rear seat. A forward-facing device changes the required orientation, while a seat belt alone or a booster seat does not match this age and weight category. The rear-seat requirement is part of the protection rule, not merely a suggestion about comfort. Confirm both measurements before choosing the restraint, because the handbook gives different options when the child is 40 pounds or more.

3. 3. What proof must Colorado drivers have while operating a vehicle?

   1. A mechanic's inspection report from that day
   2. A receipt for the most recent fuel purchase
   3. A printed map of every planned trip
   4. Valid evidence of insurance
   Show answer

   Valid evidence of insurance. Colorado requires drivers to have valid evidence of insurance while operating a vehicle and identifies failure to provide it when requested by an officer as a way the driving privilege may be affected. A fuel receipt, trip map, or same-day inspection report does not prove financial responsibility. Keep the accepted insurance evidence available before driving, including when using a vehicle that belongs to someone else. The document requirement follows operation on the roadway, not ownership.

Source: the Colorado Driver Handbook, How You Can Lose Your License and Seat Belt Laws. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.