Click It or Ticket Campaign Reminds Drivers to Buckle Up Safety Effort: January 30 to February 12

The Eugene Police Department is reminding drivers about the lifesaving benefits of wearing a seat belt and proper child safety restraints this winter during the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's national Click It or Ticket high-visibility safety effort. The national seat belt campaign will run from Monday, January 30, through Sunday, February 12.

"Modern cars contain a lot of advanced occupant protection features, including air bags and crush zones," said Sgt. Scott Dillon. "For those features to work effectively, correct seat belt and child safety seat usage is a must. And it's not just about your personal safety - unrestrained vehicle occupants can injure others in the vehicle in the event of a crash. Proper use of occupant restraint systems is one of the best ways to maximize your chances of walking away from a crash."

The program aims to increase law enforcement participation by coordinating highly visible seat belt enforcement and providing seat belt fact sheets for drivers at heavily traveled, highly visible state border checkpoints.

According to NHTSA, in 2019, there were 1,636 children under 12 were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 10 percent were reported not using a child restraint system. In that same year, 22,215 passenger vehicle occupants killed in the United States, 47 percent were not wearing seat belts.

Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. In Eugene, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $150.

For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.

Online Resources:

• Car Seat Types : Determine whether your child fits best in a rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat, or seat belt.
• Car Seat Recommendations: Review NHTSA's recommendations for the best car seat for your child's age and size.
• Find and Compare: Find and compare car seats with NHTSA's handy car seat finder, which also searches specific brands.

Oregon Department of Transportation Seatbelts and Child Seats:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFC2K2AfdJM

More ODOT information on safety belts and child seats at:http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TS/Pages/safetybelts.aspx

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