Special Enforcement: Click It Or Ticket Seat Belt Campaign

Seaside Police Department Officers are dedicated to protecting the lives of the community members as well as those who visit and vacation here. During this year’s national Click it or Ticket seat belt campaign, which takes place Jan. 29 through Feb 11, SPD and other law enforcement agencies across the state will be teaming up nationwide to enforce seat belt and car seat laws. In the state of Oregon, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $115, ORS 811.210 Failure to Properly Use Safety Belts Class D traffic violation. 

• ODOT crash data for 2021 shows lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 32% or 119 of a total 377 motor vehicle occupant fatalities. • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2021, 1,475 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 16 percent were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four to eight year olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.
• Of the 26,325 passenger vehicle occupants killed in the United States in 2021, 50% were not wearing seat belts. • In 2017 safety belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives nationally. For drivers and front-seat passengers, using a lap and shoulder belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent in an SUV, van or pickup and by 45 percent in a car. (IIHS)
• In 2017 an Oregon law was passed requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” in height and the adult belt fits them correctly. • The 2017 law, which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to age two, will better protect the child’s head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries. This is because a rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head.

Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a “no-excuses” approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations both day and night. Officers working during this traffic grant will have discretion for all other violations. For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ciot.

Contact:
Corporal Matthew Brown
Seaside Police Department
1091 S Holladay Dr.
Seaside OR 97138
503-738-6311
mjbrown@cityofseaside.us

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