Highland Police Plan "Click It Or Ticket" Campaign To Ensure Safe Thanksgiving Holiday On Highways

According to a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department news release, the Highland Police Department will be aggressively enforcing the state’s seat belt and child safety seat laws during a "Click It Or Ticket" mobilization November 17-30.

The campaign relies on heavy enforcement and public education as a means to help reduce deaths and injuries on California’s roadways. California currently has a seat belt use rate at 95.7 percent.

"The Click It or Ticket campaign has shown that Californians have gotten the message that seat belts work," said Captain Bobby Phillips. "But hundreds still are dying every year because they didn’t buckle up. Our officers will not accept excuses or give warnings. It really is Click It or Ticket."

California has a primary seat belt law which requires that every passenger in the car, including the driver, is required to wear a seat belt at all times. If stopped and found to be in violation, law enforcement will issue citations without warning. Tickets for first seat belt violations range from $80 to $91 for adults and $330 to $401 for children under age 16, depending on the county.

"While we are very happy with actually surpassing 95 percent usage, that still means that more than a million people are in real danger in the event of a crash," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). "It takes just two seconds to reduce your chances of dying in a crash by half."

Teens and nighttime car occupants lag behind others as far as buckling up is concerned. Officer will be concentrating even more on ensuring they are properly restrained. More than 280 law enforcement agencies statewide will be participating in this year’s Click It or Ticket mobilization.

Funding for officer overtime to support California’s Click It or Ticket campaign was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information contact Sgt. Don Lupear at the Highland Police Station at 909-425-9793.