Buckle up the toddler or the gas can?

A Colorado woman was cited for a seatbelt violation when she decided to strap up her gas can instead of her toddler. Poor kid.

The controversial photo above was posted on the Colorado Department of Transportation's Facebook page. According to denverpost.com, the photo sparked hundreds of comments and more than 1,000 shares on Facebook, and was taken down.

The CDOT stated the following on their Facebook page after taking the photo down:

"Dear Facebook Friends and Others- We have decided to take down the post of the child sitting next to the gas can buckled in the child safety seat. Please know that we very much believe the photo served as an educational opportunity for child passenger safety and we hope that parents will utilize the information sources available to understand the laws and requirements to protect their children while in vehicles. However, our resources are limited and we can't continue to monitor comments at the level necessary to ensure that any harassing or profane posts are removed promptly. We're trying hard to provide resources for you regarding traffic safety and transportation in Colorado, and want you to feel safe and comfortable posting or asking questions. Thank you for understanding!"